On paper, Carnell Tate isn’t a player who should be flying under the radar for Ohio State fans.
He enters his sophomore year with the pedigree of a top-60 prospect in the 247Sports composite and was a five-star according to 247Sports' own rankings. Tate made good on some opportunities to flash as a freshman with 18 catches for 264 yards, including a 79-yard performance at Purdue while Emeka Egbuka was out with an ankle injury.
But with a freshman generating as much excitement as a freshman ever has at Tate’s position in Jeremiah Smith, Tate is perhaps not talked about as much as he would normally be in Ohio State’s fan circles.
None of that has affected his confidence a single iota.
“I don't feel like I'm being slept on,” Tate said. “When the game's on, they're gonna game plan for me as well. I let the media talk and I just play ball.”
Emerging into a likely starting role alongside Egbuka and Smith for 2024, Tate is poised for a breakout season, and he presents what is touted to be perhaps the strongest set of hands in the always star-laden Ohio State receiver room.
“He runs really well,” Hartline said. “He's very, very clean from a mechanics and footwork standpoint and probably some of the toughest hands 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.”
Tate got to work quickly upon his arrival in spring of 2023, becoming the first freshman to shed his black stripe and “officially” become a Buckeye on March 25 last year. He saw immediate playing time in Ohio State’s first game against Indiana and made his first career catch on a 15-yard grab. Two weeks later, Tate recorded his first touchdown on a 28-yard hitch-and-go off the arm of Devin Brown.
Devin Brown with a DIME to Carnell Tate. pic.twitter.com/t8fLL7pcYc
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 16, 2023
Xavier Johnson started all three games Egbuka sat out with his ankle injury in October, but it opened the door for Tate to get rotational work against Purdue, Penn State and Wisconsin. He made seven total catches for 114 yards in those contests.
The biggest leaps in a player’s development can often be taken from year one to year two, and Tate certainly feels a jump in his abilities from a season ago. With Marvin Harrison Jr. off to the ranks of the NFL and Julian Fleming transferring to Penn State, he’ll be called upon with Smith and Brandon Inniss to produce alongside Egbuka out wide this year. And he can slide into whatever position is needed on offense.
“I'm better everywhere,” Tate said. “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.”
Tate’s work in both the slot and outside speaks to his overall knowledge of the offense, per Hartline.
“We can play Carnell anywhere,” Hartline said. “I think his ability to learn an offense, the intricate details, throw him in positions, make a mistake, he'll never make that mistake again. (He) does a good job of learning from others.”
Tate’s stated goal this year is to rack up 1,000 receiving yards, a tall order given the depth of Ohio State’s wide receiver room. If Hartline and the defensive backs Tate goes against on a daily basis are to be believed, though, it might be attainable.
“He's a really good player,” cornerback Denzel Burke said. “Kind of reminds me a little bit of Tee Higgins (of the Cincinnati Bengals). A little bit. I might be gassing him (up), but like Tee Higgins. But, yeah, he's a ball player. He's good with his routes. He can catch the ball. And he's a great player.”
There’s a clear confidence that comes across when conversing with Tate. It’s most evident when talking about the trait Hartline highlighted, the receiver’s hands.
“I catch everything,” Tate said. “Ball is thrown my way, I make a play.”
“I catch everything.”– Carnell Tate
Catching is as much a mental skill for Tate as it is physical. One mistake can’t pile on top of another, and one achievement doesn’t guarantee success in the next rep.
“Just concentration, you can't get in your head about it,” Tate said. “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.”
Whether moving around the offense, catching the ball in traffic or flexing the technical side of his game, Tate is eager to show Ohio State fans what he can do this year. Freshman sensation alongside him or otherwise, Tate intends to put people on notice.
“They're gonna see me play ball. And talk my trash with it,” Tate said.
