Ohio State Football: Can Chris Olave become a 1,000 yard receiver?

Ohio State has a long and storied tradition of great wide receivers to wear the scarlet and gray. Chris Olave is set up to be the next great Buckeye in 2020, but just how great will he be?

Chris Olave has been a fan favorite ever since he broke through during the 2018 game against Michigan.

As a freshman, he made some of the biggest plays of that game and immediately was deemed a star for Ohio State.

Entering his third year for the Buckeyes, Olave has a chance to set himself apart as the best wide receiver in college football.

Before he starts thinking about the NFL Draft, Olave has a chance to enter rarified territory for the Buckeyes – the 1,000-yard receiver.

Ohio State has only had 5 wide receivers ever break the 1,000-yard mark, with the most recent being Parris Campbell.

In an offense that could be more pass-happy in 2020, Olave was in prime position to join the exclusive club. Now with only a 10 game conference season, how likely is it that Chris Olave can get 1,000 yards?

Last year in 13 games, Olave had 840 receiving yards. That comes out to about 65 yards per game.

If we say that Ohio State could play 10 conference games, a Big Ten Championship, and a bowl game (conservatively) then a 12 game season is reasonable for Olave to get in 2020.

That means he would need to average just over 83 yards per game.

That is a feat that he only accomplished 3 times in 2019, which would make this a very challenging goal.

The numbers that are working in Olave’s favor is that there were some games where he disappeared last year (mostly in games that he was not needed to succeed).

Olave had 5 games last year where he had less than 51 receiving yards for the Buckeyes.

Combine that with the 4 other games where he had between 51 and 70 yards and the bulk of his yardage came in just a few key games.

In order for Olave to have a chance at 1,000 yards this season, he is going to need to get a good amount of touches in each game. He won’t be able to have an off game (even if the team doesn’t need him).

Switching to an all-conference schedule could actually help him by having fewer games that are over by halftime.

Chris Olave has the talent to join the 1,000-yard club at Ohio State, but having a shortened season makes this task much harder.