Ohio State Football: Buckeye wide receivers may be overlooked

As the Ohio State football team prepares for the CFP semifinal one group of players who may be under the radar are the wide receivers.

There is plenty of interest in the matchup between the talented wide receivers for Clemson going up against the talented defensive backs on the Ohio State football team. Don’t sleep on the wide receivers for the Buckeyes though and the impact they may have on the game.

It’s obvious why fans want to see how defensive backs like Jeffrey Okudah, Damon Arnette and Shaun Wade will fare against talented receivers Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross. Ohio State doesn’t have an 1,000-yard receiver like Higgins and only has one with more receiving yards than Ross, but the deep receiving corps will be a challenge for Clemson’s talented back seven.

The unit is deep and talented so let’s take a look at those Buckeye receivers to watch for Saturday.

K.J. Hill is now the Ohio State record-holder for receptions and had 51 for 569 yards (11.2 yards per catch) and 10 touchdowns this season. He has a knack for getting open and rarely drops a pass, especially in crucial situations.

Sophomore Chris Olave is becoming a star. He has 45 receptions for 790 yards (17.6 ypc) and 11 touchdowns on the season. He has proven he can burn a defender on a deep ball or turn a short pass into a big gain.

Senior Binjimen Victor has 32 receptions for 535 yards (16.7 ypc) and six touchdowns. Victor has become a more consistent receiver with coach Brian Hartline’s instruction and the tall receiver can certainly go up and get a 50-50 pass.

True freshman Garrett Wilson has proved he was worthy of his five-star ranking with 26 catches for 385 yards (14.8 ypc) and five scores. Expect this young man to make at least one “Wow Catch” during Saturday’s game.

Senior Austin Mack has been productive when healthy and is often a target on third down. He has 26 catches for 307 yards (14.6 ypc) and three touchdowns.

There is another true freshman that hasn’t filled up the stat sheet but may be a player to keep your eye on if he has a couple of balls thrown his way. Jameson Williams has averaged 18.7 on his 6 receptions and has scored a TD.

He is a work in progress but a talented young wide receiver who knows what to do after the catch. Coach Ryan Day may have QB Justin Fields target him a time or two.

I’m not in any way discounting how talented the Clemson wide receivers are, it will be a challenge for the Ohio State defensive backs to slow them down. But the Buckeye wide receivers could be difficult for the Tigers to defend as well.