If you’ve followed college football for more than five minutes, you know Columbus is basically a factory for NFL receivers. It’s a bit ridiculous at this point. But even by those standards, the Ohio State wide receivers 2024 group felt different.
Honestly, we all expected a drop-off when Marvin Harrison Jr. left for the pros. How do you replace a guy like that? You sorta don't. You just reload with a teenager who looks like he was built in a lab.
The Freshman Who Broke the Script
Jeremiah Smith. That’s the name everyone was screaming by Week 3. Usually, true freshmen at big programs spend their first year learning how to block or maybe returning punts if they're lucky. Not this kid. He stepped onto the field and immediately looked like the best player in the room.
Smith didn't just play; he dominated. He finished the 2024 season with 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. Think about those numbers for a second. He broke basically every freshman record Ohio State had—yards, receptions, scores. He even snatched Chris Carter’s single-game freshman yardage record with a 187-yard performance.
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Watching him, it was easy to forget he should have been at a high school prom a few months prior. At 6'3" and 215 pounds, he was physically bullying grown men in the Big Ten.
Emeka Egbuka: The Veteran Glue
While everyone was losing their minds over the freshman, Emeka Egbuka was quietly doing what he always does. Being professional. Being reliable. Egbuka decided to come back for his senior year instead of heading to the NFL in 2023, and that choice paid off in a massive way.
He was the safety valve for Will Howard. Whenever the Buckeyes needed a third-down conversion, Egbuka was there. He hauled in 81 passes for over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. More importantly, he provided the leadership that a young room desperately needed.
You've got to appreciate the selflessness too. Egbuka could have been "the guy" at 90% of other schools. Instead, he shared the spotlight, mentored the kids, and still cemented himself as a first-round talent.
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Carnell Tate and the "Silent Assassin" Role
Carnell Tate is a name that probably doesn't get enough national love. He’s the third piece of that starting trio. In 2024, he was incredibly consistent. He started all 15 games and put up 733 yards on 52 catches.
One of the coolest moments of the year was his homecoming against Northwestern at Wrigley Field. Two touchdowns in front of the home crowd. It was personal for him, especially after everything he's dealt with off the field. Tate isn't as flashy as Smith or as established as Egbuka, but he's the guy who keeps defensive coordinators up at night because you simply cannot triple-team everyone.
The Brian Hartline Factor
None of this happens by accident. Brian Hartline, the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2024, is the secret sauce. The guy is a recruiting machine. But it’s more than just getting five-star kids to sign a paper. It's the development.
Under Hartline, the Ohio State wide receivers 2024 group operated with surgical precision. Their route running is usually better than what you see on some Sundays in the NFL.
However, the 2024 season was bittersweet for the coaching staff. Following the Buckeyes' National Championship win over Notre Dame—yeah, they actually won the whole thing—Hartline took the head coaching job at South Florida. It’s a huge loss for the program, but he left the cupboard very, very full.
Beyond the Big Three: The Next Wave
Even with the starters getting the glory, the depth was terrifying for opponents.
- Brandon Inniss: He's the spark plug. He didn't get a ton of targets (14 catches), but he was lethal as a returner and in the slot.
- Bryson Rodgers: A reliable depth piece who stepped in when needed.
- Mylan Graham: Another highly-touted freshman who spent the year soaking it all in.
This depth is why the Buckeyes were able to weather a long, 16-game season. They didn't just survive; they thrived.
What This Means for Your Saturday Viewings
If you're trying to figure out how Ohio State keeps doing this, it's a mix of elite recruiting and a culture where the older guys teach the younger ones.
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Next Steps for Buckeye Fans and Analysts:
- Watch the 2025 NFL Draft: Emeka Egbuka is gone. Watch where he lands; he’s a plug-and-play starter for any NFL offense.
- Keep an eye on the Coaching Transition: With Cortez Hankton coming in from LSU to replace Hartline, see if the recruiting "vibe" changes. LSU also produces elite WRs, so the pedigree is there.
- Jeremiah Smith Tracker: He’s now the veteran. Can he top 1,500 yards as a sophomore? It sounds crazy, but with the way he played in 2024, it’s actually a distinct possibility.
The Ohio State wide receivers 2024 season wasn't just about stats. It was about a group of players proving that even when you lose a generational talent like Marvin Harrison Jr., you can actually get better as a unit. They won the Big Ten, they won the Natty, and they did it by being the most dangerous receiving corps in the country.