Ohio State second-year wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) scores a touchdown during the Ohio State-Arkansas State game Saturday. Ohio State won 45-12. Credit: Christian Harsa | Managing Editor for Digital Content
At the conclusion of the 2021 regular season, the Ohio State football team looked to fill big shoes in its wide receivers room after losing Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave to the NFL. Although the Buckeyes returned many key pieces, many wondered if last year’s No. 1 offense could replicate its success.
The problem became worse when third-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba went down in the first quarter of No. 3 Ohio State’s win over then-No. 5 Notre Dame 24-10 on Sept. 3 and missed Saturday’s game against Arkansas State. Although the offense got off to a slow start in the 45-12 win, second-year wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. showed the world he’s more than capable of being the next great Ohio State wide receiver.
“He’s very mature for his age,” head coach Ryan Day said. “To see somebody that’s played as much as he has with the high level of route-running is pretty remarkable.”
The Philadelphia native caught seven passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns Saturday. In only his third career start, Harrison Jr. became the second Ohio State wideout in program history to have two separate games of catching three touchdowns, including his three-touchdown performance in the Rose Bowl Jan. 1.
While Harrison Jr. played every game last season, he was sparingly used due to the three wideouts ahead of him in the depth chart. Even though his first career start came in Pasadena, California, he used every opportunity available to show the world a glimpse of the type of receiver he’s forming into.
“We’ve got to step up,” Harrison said. “‘Next man up,’ that’s our mentality. Like I said, you can’t replicate game reps. This is my third start. I’m still trying to learn and get better each week.”
The son of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison added that although he did not start a game until the Rose Bowl, he used every week of the season to discover what works best for him moving forward.
More specifically, he picked the brains of Wilson and Olave ahead of him to understand what he should focus on in his development.
“I think I’m a pretty good route runner,” Harrison said. “But I’m just trying to be a complete receiver. You can’t just be a deep threat. You’ve got to be able to work the short routes, intermediates as well. You’ve got to be able to work all three levels.”
The results in his previous three games speak to his ability to identify facets of his game to improve while using his athleticism to make plays. Second-year running back TreVeyon Henderson said Harrison puts in extra hours of work during practice, showing everyone around he’s going to be a problem for secondaries in games to come.
“Those receivers are very hard workers,” Henderson said. “I see those guys before practice putting in work and after practice putting in work. The room is strong so it makes it very easy for them to click in the game.”
