Emeka Egbuka’s absence allowed other Ohio State wideouts to get some shine this spring.
While the third-year Buckeye star was sidelined with injury (along with veterans Julian Fleming and Xavier Johnson), true freshmen Carnell Tate, Noah Rogers and Bryson Rodgers all made great first impressions in the program. Players like Jayden Ballard, Kojo Antwi and Kyion Grayes all saw an uptick in opportunities, and even Marvin Harrison Jr. – who needs no help in the spotlight department – received extensive snaps in the slot.
But things should look a little more normal in Brian Hartline’s wide receiver room come the start of preseason camp next week. Rest time is over for Egbuka, who is itching to get back on the gridiron and remind Buckeye fans why he’s one of the best receivers in the country after licking his wounds over the past several months.
“I was just battling a couple things, some things that happened to me last season. But I'm getting back healthy now,” Egbuka told Eleven Warriors at a meet-and-greet with Ohio State fans at Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet of Columbus on Saturday. “With all the amazing trainers that we have, we decided it was best to take that spring off and then come back stronger for the fall. So I'm looking forward to getting into pads again and playing football.
“If camp started today, I'd be playing in it.”
The last we saw of Egbuka, he was putting the finishing touches on a sensational breakout season as a sophomore in scarlet and gray. The five-star recruit racked up 74 receptions for 1,151 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns in 2022 and tacked on two rushing scores to boot. In Ohio State’s final two games alone, Egbuka hauled in 17 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns against Michigan and Georgia.
But not only did his ailments stop him from carrying that momentum into the offseason, they also limited what Egbuka saw from his team as a whole this spring. While the rest of the Buckeyes practiced at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, Egbuka was rehabbing with trainers behind the scenes.
“I didn't see too much in-depth (during the) spring, I was doing a lot of rehab and all that type of stuff,” Egbuka said. “But from what I did see, I saw the guys working to jell together. We got a lot of new pieces on offense, a lot of new pieces on defense. So seeing them work through the kinks and then push through that and work together as a whole unit, I felt like it was a very good spring.”
Egbuka didn’t need spring reps to maintain his status in the Buckeye wide receiver room. But perhaps he lost out on valuable time to build on-field chemistry with the two players vying to throw him the ball this season. With C.J. Stroud off to the NFL, Kyle McCord and Devin Brown took center stage as they split time operating the first-team Ohio State offense this spring.
“It's the same game I‘ve been playing since I was in second grade. So I‘m taking that same approach to it. I‘ve been serious about it pretty much my whole life.”– Egbuka on increased expectations in 2023
That battle will wage on into the preseason as the coaching staff left the competition open after the spring game. But Egbuka isn’t lacking confidence in either one of them and said he has a great relationship with both McCord and Brown off the field.
“My confidence level in both of them is huge. They're both my guys, best friends with both of them,” Egbuka said. “So I'm excited to see what they can do. I'm looking forward to this competition. I think it's gonna make both of them better.”
Egbuka won’t be coming straight out of the training room and back onto the field this preseason. He’s already had ample opportunity to get his body ready for football during Ohio State’s summer workouts, and the Washington native likes what he’s seen from the whole team during that period.
“It's been going great. We've been showing a lot of strides forward,” Egbuka said. “Great leadership has been shown in summer training and conditioning and all that type of stuff, and the team's showing a lot of heart. So I like the place that we're in.”
As for individual benchmarks he wants to hit either in the preseason or once the 2023 slate begins in earnest, Egbuka isn’t setting any specific goals. Not any he’s willing to state publicly, anyway.
“I don't really set goals, I don't have too many goals for myself,” Egbuka said. “I'm just looking forward to honoring and glorifying God this season and putting my best foot forward for him and just looking up at the end and seeing where we're at.”
Egbuka’s already proven himself as a lethal weapon in the Ohio State offense and perhaps outside of Harrison, his own Buckeye teammate, he may be the top returning receiver in college football. That means the expectations he faces in 2023 will undoubtedly be higher than they were at the start of 2022, when Egbuka was still just getting his feet wet as a regular starter in scarlet and gray.
But if there’s any more pressure on Egbuka’s shoulders, he said he’s not feeling it.
“Nope, not at all. Football is football, man,” Egbuka said. “Come to it with the same approach, same mindset. It's the same game I've been playing since I was in second grade. So I'm taking that same approach to it. I've been serious about it pretty much my whole life. So not taking a step off training or work ethic, all of that. Just keeping the same mindset that I've been had.”
