Ohio State Football: In-depth preview of freshman star Carnell Tate

As we near the beginning of the 2023 Ohio State football season, it is natural for one to look at the new players that will be joining the Ohio State Buckeyes. One of those new Buckeyes is receiver Carnell Tate.

Carnell Tate is originally from Chicago, Illinois, but decided to finish out his high school football career at IMG Academy down in Bradenton, Florida. Tate was always a player that Coach Brian Hartline wanted. Tate was a five-star prospect by most recruiting services. He certainly wasn’t the only coach that wanted him, but he was able to land his commitment, and hold off many other programs trying to flip him.

This is the second installment of my freshman star previews, as I recently did one on a fellow receiver in Brandon Inniss. So let’s dive into this with Carnell Tate!

Carnell Tate is a 6’2 191 pound receiver according to Ohio State’s official roster. In his senior season, he averaged over 20 yards per reception. You don’t see that every day. What makes that even more impressive is that he was playing for IMG Academy. The Ascenders face off against the top teams in the country. Tate was facing off against top-level talent.

His recruitment was stressful for Ohio State football fans. Although he never de-committed from the Buckeyes, there was a certain team that was putting on a full-court press to flip him. That team was the Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee was trying everything to get Tate to become a Volunteer. But in the end, his relationship with Coach Hartline and Ohio State won.

Facing off against this level of talent seems to have helped him out in his first spring training for Ohio State. He was able to get his black stripe removed early, which meant that he had done exceptionally well. So why is it that he has been doing so well?

Well, he has elite skills according to 247Sports. Great ball skills, and yards after the catch, are just two of the great skills he has. He also did well in the Spring Game and showed the ability to make an impact early on the field.

The problem for Tate is not based on skill. It is the fact that two of Ohio State’s starting receivers are two of the best receivers in America. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are almost locks for the first round of the NFL Draft. Tate will have the opportunity to learn behind these talented players and work on his game, without much pressure.

However, we saw not too long ago a young Garrett Wilson make his impact known early. He was getting reps with the ones in the College Football Playoffs against Clemson as a freshman.

Carnell Tate is similar to Garrett Wilson, however. I like how 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins compared him to Calvin Ridley. But I think he can be a more physical version of Ridley. He could really make his own style of player, the sky is the limit for Tate!

With the right coaching of Brian Hartline, he could make his impact known right from the start. He will have to battle against his fellow classmates and other receivers. It isn’t an easy task, but he can definitely make his way up the rotation.

Carnell Tate has all the tools to be a great player. Ohio State football fans are very excited to see how his first season with Ohio State turns out. He could be in the rotation with the starters come fall camp.

Don’t be surprised if he has one of the early touchdowns against Indiana in week one, he is a talented young man and looks to continue the recent history of first-round wide receiver draft picks from The Ohio State University.