The Ohio State Buckeyes' "WRU" label may be in danger during the 2026 season if Cleveland.com's Stephen Means, Andrew Gillis, and Stefan Krajisnik's fears about the receiving corps come to fruition this fall.
Per Means, Gillis, and Krajisnik, "Devin McCuin. Kyle Parker. Brandon Inniss. Chris Henry Jr. Jerquaden Guilford. These are all ideas. Some expensive ideas. Some exciting ideas. Some that could turn into something extraordinary. But right now, before a single spring practice snap, they are ideas. For nearly a decade, the Buckeyes walked into every season with at least two receivers whose pro-level ability was already established before the first snap was taken. Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, and Smith — that’s gone now, and the episode makes the magnitude of that shift undeniable."
When they put it that way, it's a bit unnerving to think about what life will be like without Brian Hartline, who famously left the offense high and dry at the end of the 2025 season to take the USF Bulls' head coaching job.
Certainly, it's a healthy mix of transfers and "next man up" types, but when you don't know what you have, there's a chance that it's the worst-case scenario. With Arthur Smith's offensive system leaning heavily on a healthy dose of up-the-gut runs, it's unclear if Ohio State will have a star in the room outside of Jeremiah Smith. Even Smith's game stands to suffer if no other receivers can rise to the occasion.
Brian Hartline revolutionized the receiver position at Ohio State
From 2007 to 2022, there was not a single receiver taken from the Buckeyes in the first round of the NFL draft. Since 2022, there have been five (Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka), and there is about to be a sixth with Carnell Tate.
Hartline's impact was obvious. He was a great recruiter, but an even better developer of talent. While there are still guys on the roster from his time on the trail representing the Ohio State University, it's unclear if they will take off in the same manner as guys used to.
In Cortez Hankton we trust, though. Bringing experience from the LSU Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs, programs that have long been producing elite receiver talent, Hankton could be the badly-needed developer in Hartline's stead.
It's up to the play-calling to bring it all together. We'll see how this works out in due time.