Brian Hartline has a new flex that should only help the Ohio State Buckeyes on the recruiting trail
When you think about outstanding wide receiver on the college football level, the Ohio State Buckeyes immediately come to mind. Brian Hartline is the architect of that room, and the major reason that room is on a historic stretch. The 2025 NFL Draft was yet another example of the quality of that wide receiver room. […]
When you think about outstanding wide receiver on the college football level, the Ohio State Buckeyes immediately come to mind. Brian Hartline is the architect of that room, and the major reason that room is on a historic stretch. The 2025 NFL Draft was yet another example of the quality of that wide receiver room.
With the 19th selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected former Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. The 6-1, 202-pound pass catcher left the Buckeyes as the team’s all-time leading receiver. In four years in Columbus, he managed to haul in 205 receptions for 2,868 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Egbuka accomplished more than just being a first round selection. He continued a stretch of dominance from an NFL Draft perspective for Ohio State. If you look back at the 2001 wide receiver room for the Buckeyes, it's almost unbelievable to reminisce about the quality of depth. It's better than most wide receiver rooms in the NFL currently.
Along with freshman version of Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba all were a part of Coach Hartline's group. That doesn't even count Jameson Williams who left before the season to transfer to Alabama. If you could Williams, that means that Ohio State had six wide receivers that eventually went in the first round over the course of a few months.
That wide receiver isn't stopping anytime soon either. With Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate in that room currently, as well as some younger talent as well, there's a good chance that the Buckeyes will have several more first round picks over the next few years. That's a pretty easy sell to future recruits.
The serious question is, how many, if any, NFL wide receiver rooms would you take over that 2021 Buckeyes one? That was an embarrassment of riches, and a testament to the recruiting and developmental impact under Coach Hartline.
