Emeka Egbuka is full of gratitude after becoming a national champion, and he expects more great things to come from Ohio State’s wide receiver room.
Egbuka was as emotional as any Ohio State player after the Buckeyes won the national championship on Monday night. The senior captain had tears in his eyes and shared long embraces with Ryan Day and multiple Ohio State teammates as he stood on stage for the Buckeyes’ postgame celebration after their 34-23 win over Notre Dame.
In the immediate aftermath of the celebration, Egbuka said he couldn‘t “even put it to words” what was going through his mind at that moment, describing his emotions as “a culmination of everything that I've felt over the last four years here."
Speaking with Eleven Warriors during a brief interview before his autograph session at a Dick’s Sporting Goods in Columbus on Friday, Egbuka explained the bittersweet emotions that came with achieving the team’s goal of winning it all but also realizing that he had played his final game as a Buckeye.
“It was my last time putting on a jersey as a Buckeye, my last game with some of my brothers, the fact that we came and conquered and did what we set out to do,” Egbuka said. “So it was a lot.”
Most of all, though, Egbuka feels grateful that he had the opportunity to be a Buckeye and that they were able to win a national championship together. And he credited his faith with allowing that all to happen.
“The only word that comes to mind is Jesus, like that's all I can think about after this victory,” Egbuka said. “After my four years here, just seeing how he's carried me and my teammates to this moment, I'm just eternally grateful for him.”
Egbuka said Ohio State’s journey to become a national champion was “extremely hard,” but the payoff of winning it all made all the effort worth it.
“It took everything in us. And it took a lot of leadership to get here, and a lot of sacrifices, a lot of late nights, early mornings. But it's definitely all worth it,” Egbuka said.
As Ohio State’s all-time leader in receptions and a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, Egbuka leaves massive shoes to fill in Ohio State’s wide receiver room both in terms of production and leadership. But with Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss returning to lead the unit next season, Egbuka says he has no doubt that Ohio State’s run of receiver greatness will continue.
“I think there's a standard to uphold when it comes to Zone 6, the wide receiver room specifically, and that standard’s never going to change. It's a standard of excellence,” Egbuka said. “No worries there when it comes to Jeremiah, Carnell and Brandon, they're going to live up to every ounce of hype that there is.”
Egbuka was the second of three Ohio State players to participate in post-championship autograph sessions at the Easton location of Dick’s Sporting Goods this week along with Will Howard and Jack Sawyer, who will hold his autograph session at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. 150 wristbands for autographs will be distributed on location at 4304 Easton Gateway Drive at 9 a.m. Saturday on a first-come, first-served basis, with wristbands required to receive an autograph.
