Cleveland, OH
Ohio State football’s ramped-up receiver room means short stays for some
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Per the new Ohio State football custom, a No. 4 ranking for the 2022 signing class came with a big boost from a cluster of receivers.
The four receivers who signed in December 2021 were all ranked in the national top 151 per the 247Sports composite. No other program landed more than three, and even two in the top 200 was a rare feet.
Yet only 18 months after that signing day, two of those promising receivers are gone. Kaleb Brown, the highest-ranked among the group, and Caleb Burton both entered their names in the transfer portal after spring practice. Brown moved three states over across the Big Ten to Iowa, while Burton’s career continues at Auburn.
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Is that inevitable in a receivers room that annually brings in three or four of the nation’s top-ranked players? Maybe, but offensive coordinator and receivers coach Brian Hartline still felt some loss at two projects left unfinished.
“I guess I didn’t really have any expectations,” Hartline said. “You’re just hopeful to continue to build and shape the room as best we can. I completely understand all the pressures that everyone has, and frankly, what they feel is right is up to them.
“At the end of the day, they feel like they have a four-to-five year window. And they’re just trying to give themselves the best chance.”
At the start of the spring, Hartline acknowledged the pinch those second-year receivers might soon feel.
The 2023 lineup is, barring injury, locked up. Unanimous All-American Marvin Harrison Jr., overlooked 1,000-yard slot man Emeka Egbuka and veteran Julian Fleming all return. So does Xavier Johnson, a trusted utility player of sorts. So does Jayden Ballard, a speedy receiver rounding into form in his third season.
Then comes a 2023 signing class even more highly regarded than the 2022 bunch. Former top-60 prospects Carnell Tate and Noah Rogers both enrolled early and enjoyed promising springs. So did another four-star, Bryson Rodgers. Brandon Inniss, a top-40 player in that class and the No. 5 receiver, ix catching up this summer.
Oh, and the top two commits so far for the 2024 class? That’s Jeremiah Smith, the No. 2 overall player and No. 1 receiver, and Mylan Graham, also a top-20 player in the 247Sports composite.
With that much talent rolling in each year, players may feel compelled to make quick decisions about their long-term fit. Hartline believes it also explains why three OSU receivers went in the first round of the past two NFL Drafts. Harrison and Egbuka are expected to join Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba with that distinction next season.
“Typically, the more talent you have, the more you’re demanding of the player, and the more you invest in the player, the more of growth you’re probably going to get for each individual,” Hartline said. “So the goal is to continue to add the best players in the country to the room, to allow us to push those that are currently there and those that are coming.”
Of course that NFL Draft list could also include Jameson Williams, who transferred to Alabama en route to his first-round selection. So additions may continue to require subtractions, but sometimes the math works out for everybody.
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