Making the case Ohio State has become ‘Wide Receiver U’
Ohio State has a deep history of having fantastic wide receivers who forge their legacy in Columbus before becoming great in the NFL and should be considered “Wide Receiver U”.
A constant debate in today’s college football is who is the “U” of every position. LSU claims to be DBU, Oklahoma is considered by some to be RBU and recently Clemson has been DLU. Ohio State has made a strong case to be known as WRU.
For one, history is on the side of the Buckeyes, with legendary wideouts such as Cris Carter, Terry Glenn and Ted Ginn Jr. Ohio State has continued this legacy with more recent receivers like Brian Robiskie, Curtis Samuel and Michael Thomas, who has broken several NFL records just a few short years into his career.
In recent years, Ohio State has brought in many highly talented recruits and built a position unit that has produced exceptional college players who in turn become incredible NFL athletes. To prove the point, Kevin Harrish of Eleven Warriors reported Ohio State had 19 wide receivers drafted between 2000-2019, more than any other university.
With former stand-out Ohio State receiver Brian Hartline at the helm full time now, the Buckeyes have developed an impressive current core of receivers, led by K.J. Hill, Binjimen Victor, and Austin Mack. Even beyond these three, it’s a deep WR unit with Chris Olave, C.J. Saunders and the incredible players in the 2018 and ’19 recruiting classes.
Perhaps even more impressive than the history, which was enhanced by the drafting of Parris Campbell and Terry Mclaurin (along with Johnnie Dixon signing with the Texans), the outlook of the Ohio State WR unit is brighter than ever. Even with last year’s losses.
Even through the controversy surrounding the WR coach last year, Ohio State has been the center of a thriving wide receiver unit for recruits. In 2018’s class, which was second-best in the nation, the Buckeyes picked up four four-star recruits (Kamryn Babb, L’Christian “Blue” Smith, Cameron Brown, and Olave).
Even with all the tough competition and the rise of the transfer era, Ohio State had held onto all four recruits (although Brown switched to a CB). Earlier this spring, Smith announced he will be leaving the program.
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In 2019, 5-star Garrett Wilson (who could be a once-in-a-lifetime talent) was joined by four-star recruit Jameson Williams and three-star Craig Young. Even in a lower ranked class, the Buckeyes still picked up a five-star and two more talented wideouts.
Looking forward, the 2020 class could be the beginnings of a unit similar to the 2014 unit, which possessed Devin Smith, Evan Spencer, Curtis Samuel and Michael Thomas. Freshmen Noah Brown, Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin were also on the roster.
In 2020, the receiving core will be upgraded by the additions of 5-star Julian Fleming, who is joined by three four-star recruits Mookie Cooper, Gee Scott Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. It’s difficult to say at this point which side of the ball three-star gem Cameron Martinez will end up on but he may end up playing receiver.
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Overall, Ohio State is perhaps the most well-rounded of the WRU candidates, with a perfect balance of legacy, NFL-readability and a bright future.