Ohio State Football: Wide receiving corps still loaded
Even though Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon have moved on the Ohio State receiving corps is still loaded.
Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn, Michael Jenkins, Alex Gonzalez and Brian Hartline are just a few former Ohio State receivers who have found success in the NFL. With Paris Campbell, Terry McLaurin and Johnny Dixon finding their way onto NFL teams in the coming season, that list is sure to expand.
To put the cherry on top, K.J. Hill, Chris Olave, Victor Binjimen and Austin Mack are all returning to wear the Scarlet and Gray in 2019. It should be another great year for Buckeye receivers.
Ever since Urban Meyer stepped foot on campus, it seems the Ohio State football team has always had a plethora of talent at the wide receiver position. Now that he has stepped down as head coach of the Buckeyes, it is Ryan Day’s turn to make sure that tradition continues.
With a ton of talent returning on this years unit, coach Day should have no problem with the above task.
While three of the Buckeyes top four receivers last season left for the NFL, the numbers don’t tell the complete story. K.J Hill returns as the second highest receiver totaling 69 catches for 876 yards in 2018.
Through eight games last season Austin Mack totaled 331 yards on 26 catches before he was injured. Binjimen Victor was somewhat disappointing, but with his size and speed this season could be a very different story.
I said stats don’t tell the whole story earlier and that rings true for sophomore Chris Olave. He didn’t get started really until the last regular season game against Michigan, but definitely gave us a flash of his potential in that game.
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Against the Wolverines, Olave had 48 yards receiving, scored two touchdowns and a punt block that went for a touchdown in the 62-39 slaughtering of the Wolverines. Now, some of what Olave was able to do in that game may have been because of the stellar play of Dwayne Haskins, but there is no doubt he has potential.
Last but not least, while we saw what Olave did late in the season as a true freshman we might get to see Garrett Wilson star in a Buckeye uniform much earlier.
Wilson, a five-star and top 15 recruit in the country in the 2019 class, totaled 1,151 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior at Lake Travis High School. He put up those numbers despite missing part of the season due to injury.
Then, Wilson would go on to score two touchdowns in the Army All-American game, being named the games MVP in the process.
Most recently Wilson showed what he could do in the Buckeye uniform for the first time. Totaling 44 yards and scoring on a touchdown pass from former high school teammate Matthew Baldwin, Wilson got Buckeye fans excited about what the freshman might be able to accomplish during his first season.
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With Wilson potentially making an impact and the returning players who are sure to make waves this season, Buckeye fans should have no worries about the receiving corps in 2019.