The Ohio State football program has the best group of wide receivers in the country. It helps that Jeremiah Smith is the best player in the country, period, but he isn't the only one who is great in that room. There are some other really good receivers behind Smith on the depth chart.
Carnell Tate will slide into the second receiver slot this year now that Emeka Egbuka is with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He will be getting a lot more opportunities this season with all of the attention that will be paid to Smith. Tate is going to put up the best numbers of his career.
Both of these receivers have proven that they are really good already, and the rest of the country has taken notice. So has the committee that chooses who wins the Biletnikoff Award, as both receivers are on the preseason watchlist, which all but guarantees Ohio State will take it home at the end of the year.
Two Ohio State football players are on the Biletnikoff Award preseason watchlist
Smith is the favorite to win the award over Tate. If either of them were to win it, they would become the first receiver from the Ohio State Buckeyes to win the award since Marvin Harrison Jr. in the 2023 season. Harrison Jr. was the best player the Buckeyes had that season.
Of course, if either of these players is going to win the award, they have to have a good quarterback throwing them the ball. Right now, it looks like Julian Sayin has taken the lead in that regard, so it looks like Smith and Tate will have a former five-star recruit tossing them the ball downfield.
It would be a massive upset if one of these two receivers didn't win the award, given how much talent the Ohio State offense has all over the field. It's impossible for defenses to cover up every option.