Brian Hartline ranks best wide receivers he coached at Ohio State

Since joining the Buckeyes coaching staff, Ohio State receivers coach turned offensive coordinator Brian Hartline has had some elite talent at the position. And during a recent interview, the Buckeyes coach gave his ranking of the best wide receivers he’s at the pleasure of coaching at Ohio State.

“I would say Marvin right now. (He’s) NFL-like, NFL makeup, NFL prototype, right? Marvin’s an NFL prototype,” said Hartline. “And then I think, you have to go Jaxon, right. And the only reason why I feel very comfortable saying that is because Chris and Garrett chose him as well. Chris and Garrett, you know Garrett had a hell of a year. Obviously, rookie of the year. You’d probably have to give him the nod just because of that.”

With Jaxon Smith-Njigba sidelined for much of the season, it gave Marvin Harrison Jr the perfect opportunity to showcase his skillset, and he did not disappoint. And year number two in the program, Harrison lead Ohio State in receptions (77), receiving yards (1,263), and touchdowns (14). The year prior, in the 2021 season, Smith-Njigba, along with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, were a three-headed nightmare and Ohio State’s passing game. Smith-Njigba And Wilson were first and 2nd on the team in receptions and receiving yards. And Olave led the Buckeyes in receiving touchdowns with 13.

Heartline had two more receivers in his rankings. But for him, it was difficult to give the nod to one over the other. Still, in the end, he had to and ultimately gave Terry McLaurin the nod over Olave. And he cited the Washington Commanders’ top receiving threats success at the next level as his deciding factor.

And then it’s between Terry and Chris. One was 11th overall pick, and one makes $23 million a year. So it’s kind of a coin flip. I would say probably Terry right now because he’s done it in the NFL for three or four-plus years. That’s worth its weight in gold to me. A guy doing it one year is one thing. And Chris knows how much I love him. But you’re talking about an elite group of dudes there. I think that it’s easy to do once; really hard to do it two, three, four, five more years like that.”

Regardless of how you have them ranked, to have five receivers such as the ones mentioned above in your receiving room, it’s a pretty impressive feat. McLaurin, Olave, and Wilson have all been successful, and the NFL, with two of the three, also being selected in the first round. Smith-Njigba and Harrison are also projected to be top picks in their respective drafts. It’s clear to see that Heartline has had a plethora of riches at Ohio State. And if he continues to recruit the way he has, the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator could be in line to run his own program soon.

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