Ohio State Buckeyes star Marvin Harrison Jr. is the best wide receiver in college football. The unanimous All-American would be a top-five pick in the 2023 NFL Draft if his eligibility was left up to NFL teams.
Harrison Jr. wasn’t always thought of this highly. The son of Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison was a 247 Sports’ four-star recruit in 2021, rated as the 14th-best receiver coming out of high school. At the time, Brian Dohn of 247 Sports projected Harrison Jr. to one day become a third-round pick in the NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-3 receiver showed some potential in his freshman season. While he played very limited snaps, the then-freshman receiver recorded five receptions for 68 receiving yards in the regular season. It became evident in the 2022 Rose Bowl that Harrison Jr. might be something special.
Against No. 11-ranked Utah, Harrison Jr. pulled down six receptions for 71 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Despite being just 19 years old at the time, he showed great rapport with quarterback C.J. Stroud and it proved to be just the start of what was coming.
With Jaxon Smith-Njigba missing a majority of the 2022 season with a hamstring injury, Harrison Jr. emerged as the Buckeyes’ No. 1 receiver. In that role, despite sharing targets with Emeka Egbuka, Harrison Jr. put himself in the Buckeyes’ record books.
- Marvin Harrison Jr stats (2022): 77 receptions, 1,263 receiving yards, 14 touchdowns
The true sophomore finished with the fourth-most receptions in a single season by an Ohio State wide receiver and the fourth-most receiving yards in a season by a Buckeyes player. More importantly, he tied David Boston for the second-most receiving touchdowns (14) in a season throughout Ohio State’s illustrious history.
After being a unanimous All-American selection and equally deserving of the Fred Biletnikoff Award, Harrison Jr. showed up at Ohio State’s Pro Day to help Stroud and show off for NFL scouts and coaches in attendance.