Ohio State’s wide receiver group ranked highly compared to the rest of of the country

Marvin Harrison Jr. is heading to the NFL, while Emeka Egbuka decided to stick with college ball. Egbuka's going to lead a crew that's short on experience but loaded with talent.

If you're a hardcore college football fan, you've probably checked out Phil Steele's preseason predictions. He's got the Buckeyes ranked as the third-best wide receiver group in the nation this year.

Phil Steele's sticking with OSU at the top, putting them in the top three again. They could be number one, but he's not sold because there's no dominant tight end in the mix.

Last season, Harrison was the star, but Egbuka had some injury setbacks. They're counting on Egbuka to bounce back to his sophomore form when he nearly hit 1,200 receiving yards. Even though he played in ten games last year, he was visibly banged up and only racked up 515 receiving yards.

Carnell Tate showed promise with 264 yards and a touchdown as a freshman, and Brandon Inniss caught a single pass—a 58-yard touchdown. Both were top recruits who were rushed onto the depth chart as freshmen but should get more chances in 2024.

Jeremiah Smith looks like the most talented freshman receiver in a long time at OSU, and he might make a big impact right away. If he lives up to his potential, this group could go through the roof.

Oregon and Missouri are ranked ahead of Ohio State, but you could argue the Buckeyes deserve to be higher. Tez Johnson's a force for the Ducks and Missouri's got Luther Burden, possibly the best wideout in the country, along with Theo Wease and Mookie Cooper.

Ohio State's depth is what sets them apart. Jayden Ballard has serious speed but hasn't had many chances yet, and Mylan Graham's another exciting freshman. Bryson Rodgers redshirted last year, but the Buckeyes have high hopes for him.

Brian Hartline's proven he can develop these guys into NFL talent while making them some of the best in college ball.