Despite not playing in the Big Ten championship game last season, Ohio State managed to make it into the College Football Playoff thanks to the selection committee.
In the closing minute of the third quarter of the Peach Bowl against Georgia, Marvin Harrison Jr., the star Buckeyes wide receiver, was knocked out of the game with an apparent head injury when he attempted to catch a pass in the back of the end zone on third-and-goal. Before that play, Harrison caught five passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. The Buckeyes lost to the eventual champion Bulldogs 42-41.
“It was a lot of ups and downs, really,” Harrison told the Tribune last month. “The first game (was) a night game against Notre Dame. A lot of alumni are there. LeBron James is there. Not that it was a terrible game, but the game didn’t really go how (we) wanted it to go. I had zero touchdowns and didn’t really have any big plays.
“The one thing I learned over the past year is that it’s a very long season. And things can change quickly in certain games. So I really just got to stay patient. Take it one week at a time. Never get too high. Never get too low. Because there’s so many things that can change on a week-to-week basis.”
A unanimous All-America selection, Harrison recorded 77 receptions for 1,263 yards (sixth in FBS) and 14 touchdowns (fourth), averaging 16.4 yards per game. He had seven games with at least 100 receiving yards.
In his list of the top five all-time Ohio State wide receivers, Harrison named himself No. 5 after Cris Carter, Terry Glenn, Michael Jenkins and former teammate Chris Olave.
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But he didn’t always dream of being a football star, even as the child of a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Growing up in Philadelphia, Harrison had dreams of becoming an NBA player. Basketball and track were his initial focus, but once he got to high school he realized football was his best route. He developed a strong passion for football his sophomore year, he said, and “it just kind of took off from there”.
Harrison has become one of the most talked about players in the Big Ten and is a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. In the offseason, rumors swirled on social media and college football message boards that he was entering the transfer portal for an opportunity elsewhere. Harrison said there was no truth to them.
“With the way the transfer portal is in college football, people think anybody can just change schools and change conferences,” Harrison said. “It’s funny to me, looking at what people may have expected or thought of at the time. But then you also see big-time players that do wind up changing schools. So I guess it is believable, other people in the country are doing it, but I didn’t think too much of it. I knew where I was going to be the whole time.”
Recently voted the Big Ten preseason offensive player of the year in the annual cleveland.com poll, Harrison knows expectations for him and the Buckeyes are high. After going 11-2 overall and 8-1 in the Big Ten, losing to Michigan for the second season in a row, Harrison spent his offseason focusing on working out and preparing for the season.
“Last year, if you look at where I lined up a lot, it was in a boundary,” Harrison said. “But for my development, I need to get used to playing to the field, playing in a slot.
“Me and the coaching staff came together and thought it’d be the best thing to help me … to do the whole spring ball in the slot. Just get a feel for it and learn different things (like) what to look for against a defense when lined up in the slot. It definitely helped me a lot. Super happy that I got to do that. And then maybe this season it will pay off.”
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Already a threat as an outside receiver, a move to the slot could add to his route-running ability and expose defensive mismatches. In addition to getting advice and techniques from coaches, Harrison said he has learned a lot from his dad, lessons he can use on the field and in life.
“Work ethic is very key,” he said. “If you want something you’re going to have to go out and work for it. Nothing’s really going to be given to you. (He’s shown me) how to approach certain things, whether that’s from a business standpoint or on a football field, to always seek knowledge and do the best you can to be smart about situations.”
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At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds and with elite speed, Harrison is a weapon. He knows coaches are building defensive schemes to shut down his playmaking ability, so he worked on reading and manipulating whatever they come up with to lessen his impact.
“He’s just such an unusual player,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said at Big Ten media days last month. “Start with his size. ... It’s pretty rare. His dad, he’s not even close, size-wise, right? But he’s equally a really good player. Just a rare player. Tough defending him.”
Ohio State lost Heisman Trophy finalist CJ Stroud and three starting offensive linemen to the NFL draft. The Buckeyes have a quarterback competition between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown, and coach Ryan Day has handed off some play-calling to new offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.
Running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams, who combined for 1,396 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns last season, and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (1,151 yards, 10 receiving TDs) are returning.
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The road to the Big Ten title ends at Lucas Oil Stadium, where the elder Harrison’s name and number hang in the rafters. The Ohio State receiver is still defining what success looks like for him — with the conference title as his “biggest goal” — while learning to embrace comparisons to his dad.
“Success is hard because the standard I feel is so high for myself,” Harrison Jr. said. “A lot of things aren’t really considered success that may be considered to a lot of people. I try to keep pushing every day. Win the day and you’ll like the outcome later.
“Everything’s going to take care of itself toward the end, but you hear all the good things and bad things and the expectations that people may have for you, but you have to go out there and play eventually. I just look forward to it.”