Ohio State Football: Will a freshman receiver make the rotation?

The Ohio State football team is set to open fall camp in less than two weeks. Will a freshman receiver get on the field in 2023?

The Ohio State football team is right around the corner from the opening of fall camp. Brian Hartline and his receiving room seem to be in great shape for not only next season but for years to come. It’s been a while now since we’ve seen a true freshman crack the rotation at receiver. Can it happen in 2023?

The Buckeyes sure have some great options for this to happen. First amongst them is five-star top-25 national player Carnell Tate. Tate currently is going through a terrible situation so it would be hard to expect this promising player to be ready for the Indiana game in Week 1. But Tate was absolutely one of the most electrifying players on the field during the Spring Game and once he’s ready, I would not be shocked to see him get snaps in 2023.

In the Spring, Hartline glowed when talking about Tate and he said this to The Athletic when asked about Tate:

"“He very rarely has repeated mistakes, and that’s usually a pretty good sign of a good player,”"

That’s about as high of praise as Hartline has given an incoming receiver.

Another intriguing freshman is Noah Rogers, the four-star top-40 player from Rolesville, North Carolina. Rogers was another player who stood out during the Spring Game as his raw talent and speed were on display. He might need to bulk up a bit so this might be more of a wait-and-see year for Rogers.

Lastly, the player whom Buckeye Nation wants to see the most is Brandon Innis, the five-star receiver from Fort Lauderdale. Arriving on campus in May, Innis has been deep into strength coach Mickey Mariotti’s program for two months now and he seems to be acclimating well. But arriving late might have hurt his chances at playing as a freshman.

So out of these three players, I believe Carnell Tate is best positioned to crack the receiver’s rotation by the season’s end. All three players though have bright futures, and I would expect all of them to play in 2024.