Quick Hits: Brian Hartline Calls Competition Between Wide Receivers and Cornerbacks “Critical” to the Team's Success, Emeka Egbuka Says the Buckeyes’ Offense is “Jack of All Trades”

While most college football programs would need time to recover from the loss of someone as talented as Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State is not one of them.

This season, the Buckeyes will have Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, Jeremiah Smith, Jayden Ballard, Bryson Rodgers, Kojo Antwi and more at the position. Those seven receivers, along with Ohio State co-offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, met with reporters on the Woody Hayes Athletic Center indoor practice field on Friday.

Among the topics discussed, Hartline called the competition between Ohio State's wide receivers and defensive backs "critical" to the team's success, Egbuka said Will Howard has "tremendous confidence" in himself and Smith described the expectations surrounding his freshman season a "blessing."

Brian Hartline

“This is the best DB corps, I want to say – depth-wise, top-of-the-line-wise – that probably I've seen since I've been here.”– Brian Hartline on Ohio State's secondary

• Hartline said the competition both against the Buckeyes’ defensive backs and against fellow receivers is critical for the position room. “Part of coming to Ohio State is the iron on iron, iron sharpens iron. That's a cliche statement, but it's really true. I mean, it's twofold, right? It's the DBs you go against every day, and then it's the guys in your room, you know, you can't have a bad day. So the combination of both of those is critical. You can't have one without the other.”
• On Carnell Tate: “We can play Carnell anywhere. I think his ability to learn an offense the intricate details, throw him in positions (stands out). Make a mistake, he'll never make that mistake again. ... Very, very clean from a mechanics and footwork standpoint and probably some of the toughest hands, you know, on the team catching the ball in traffic. So it doesn't matter really where you put Carnell. He's going to take care of his job and be a competitive advantage.”
• On what stood out about Brandon Inniss this summer: “The way he carried himself and the way he was a leader. And then I would say once he was back (from injury), Coach Mick does a lot of things to grade guys and give feedback and hold guys accountable. He was a guy that impressed his teammates through the summer. He was a guy that was all gold. He was a guy that the leaders wanted to vote him on to the leadership council. So he earned all that without even playing football.”
• Hartline said that this time of year is about striking a balance between installing the offense and working on fundamentals. “We always say, you know, a drop in the bucket seems insignificant. But you get enough drops, that bucket's going to overfill. So you don't want to take those (reps) for granted.”

Emeka Egbuka

“He’s kind of like a field general out there. He has tremendous confidence in his ability, so that bleeds out into the entire offense, and we’re able to play fast.”– Emeka Egbuka on Will Howard

• Egbuka on where he’s seen Jeremiah Smith grow this preseason: “His mental. His ability to take in the good with the bad and consume the playbook and grow in his knowledge of the game. As a freshman, that’s something where you may lack a little bit more than your physical ability. … He’s doing great.”
• Egbuka on the idea that Ohio State could become a run-first offense this season: “A run-first offense opens up big lanes for the passes. … It’s less about who gets the touches and more about how we can capitalize on the opportunities we are given. … We have the best backfield in the entire nation and we have the best receiver unit in the nation. We are kind of jack of all trades.
• Egbuka on Mylan Graham receiving comparisons to Garrett Wilson: “He is definitely fluid about the way he moves. We see it in his routes and his releases. When all the wide receivers are in the film room and he’s getting crafty and doing all this body movement stuff, it’s like, ‘OK, we can see he got a little something to him.’ It’s just about bringing him along. He just got here.”

Carnell Tate

“I don't feel like I'm being slept on. When the game's on, they're gonna game plan for me as well. I let the media talk and I just play ball.”– Carnell Tate on whether he’s being "slept on" with the hype around Jeremiah Smith

• On where he’s improved from year one to year two: “I'm better everywhere. I've been in the slot, been on the outside as you guys can see. I'm better everywhere. I got faster, I got bigger, I got stronger. So I'm better everywhere and I feel good.”
• On what his role looks like in the offense: “Making plays, go out there and hopefully have 1,000 yards and make plays for the team when needed and be that go-to guy.”
• Brian Hartline said Tate might have the “toughest hands” on the team, which Tate said is a mental attribute as much as a physical one. “Just concentration, you can't get in your head about it. Catching comes from like, it's a mindset game. When you start dropping the ball, you can get in your head and stuff like that. So you gotta build confidence by catching the ball.”
• On how Ohio State’s receivers are enhanced going against one of the best groups of DBs in the country: “It makes us better all over the field, whether that's inside or outside. We've got a great second there. We’ve got Jordan, IGB, Zel, Jermaine. So they're getting us better each and every day. We’ve got the best DBs in the country. So I don't think there's gonna be a game where we face better DBs than what we got here.”

Brandon Inniss

“After the 'team up north' game last year, just watching the film, I was disgusted with the whole game. Not really with certain plays, but I feel like I can do a lot on the field and bring more intensity to what we’re doing.”– Brandon Inniss on being a sparkplug for Ohio State

• Inniss says he brings a lot of energy to the team and he felt the offense last year needed more energy as a whole unit. He feels he can be a high-energy guy and drive the offense and drive the team.
• Inniss said his spring was devoted to getting healthy and being a leader for everyone else around him, such as Jeremiah Smith.
• Inniss said he and Davison Igbinosun have engaged in friendly trash talk almost every day in fall camp so far.
• Inniss said the biggest advice he’s given to Mylan Graham is to stay in his playbook and continue his progression and daily habits.

Jeremiah Smith

“It’s a blessing, but you don’t want that hype to affect you and all this other stuff that’s going around me. I just keep my head down, just find ways to get better each and every day.”– Jeremiah Smith on blocking out the hype surrounding him

• Smith said he was never going to flip from Ohio State on signing day. “I wasn’t flipping. I don’t know why people made the same idea as that. I was a Buckeye and that’s it.”
• Smith said he was wowed by the fact that Ohio State fans came to watch his games during his senior year of high school.
• Smith said Will Howard has “definitely made a big jump from the beginning of spring.”

Jayden Ballard

“I feel pretty confident. I feel like Coach Hart has a lot of trust in me since I've been here. Patience, time, and I feel like we'll see what that can do coming up to the season.”– Jayden Ballard on how confidence entering 2024

• On what he’s had to learn to become more of a deep threat: “Just consistently making plays down the field, taking the top off the defense.”
• Ballard’s improved his consistency and knowledge of the offense, he feels. “I feel like the playbook and the mistakes have cut down, obviously, for me. I've been here longer than most of the guys in the room. I've been here as long as Emeka, four years. So I feel like the mistakes aren't really a thing anymore.”
• On Will Howard: “All the quarterbacks are good. Will, all the quarterbacks, I haven't really seen no difference. I like them all.”

Bryson Rodgers

“We embrace the competition. I feel like it’s more about us as a team and a receiver group, focusing on the end goal. We need everyone in our room to be at the best of our abilities.” – Bryson rodgers on the wr room's competitive nature

• Rodgers says he is “100 percent” glad he decided to return to Ohio State despite initially entering the transfer portal in December.
• Rodgers said he has seen Will Howard show more composure and get more comfortable in Ohio State’s offense the past few practices. “He’s been a great aspect to this team and a great voice in the locker room, great energy.”
• Rodgers said Jermaine Mathews Jr. is a “true baller” and is always looking to make plays on the field and brings a calm and composed presence.

Kojo Antwi

“I want what’s best for all the receivers in the room because these are my guys and obviously it’s competition to get on the field, but these are my guys and I really appreciate being in this room.”– Kojo Antwi on being a leader in the receiver room

• Antwi feels like he’s had his best camp so far in his career.
• While he hasn’t played much in his first two years, Antwi says he understands that every player has a different development timetable. “Everybody feels like three years and done is like the ultimate thing, but everybody has a different type of development and stuff like that, so that’s why I’m taking it day by day.”
• Antwi said “it definitely feels weird” to be the last receiver standing from his recruiting class, but “they obviously made the best decision for them and I obviously made the best decision for me staying here.”
• Antwi described Jeremiah Smith as “mini-Julio” in reference to Julio Jones. “I feel like anytime the ball goes up, it’s 75-25, honestly. He’s a big playmaker. He doesn’t really mess up at all and I feel like he has a really big upside to his career. He has really big potential.”