Lettermen Row member mailbag: Wide Receiver Week questions answered
Lettermen Row readers: Have a question for the Lettermen Row staff? Submit them here on the Lettermen Lounge message board. We’ll tackle the best questions in posts on the site. Check back daily for answers to your biggest and most pressing Ohio State questions.
It’s time for a Wide Receiver Week mailbag!
COLUMBUS — We asked the Lettermen Row members for their best Wide Receiver Week questions, and now we’re answering some of them in an offseason Ohio State mailbag.
Let’s check what questions we received and get them answered.
Zacrissy asks…
Are you surprised Kojo Antwi didn’t leave via the portal with all the talent currently ahead of him as well as in the pipe right behind him? Does he ever play significant snaps for this offense in his Buckeye career?
Kojo Antwi is often forgotten about in the Buckeyes wide receiver room. Antwi is a big-bodied outside receiver who worked in on special teams last season. He has a chance to work for playing time at receiver in his third year. And why wouldn’t he stay to compete? This receiver room has just eight scholarship players, Antwi included. He is just a couple of injuries away from needing to play a major role on the outside of offensive formations.
And besides, we’ve seen Brian Hartline’s room produce receivers who break out late in their careers. From Johnnie Dixon to Xavier Johnson, the examples are there. Antwi stuck around because he loves being at Ohio State and wants to keep developing. Maybe that evolves into an eventual role. Maybe it doesn’t. But Antwi deserves credit for continuing to stick it out and keep working.
Kcrown87 asks…
Is it just me or is Tate being overlooked? He was the talk of the town last year but now it’s all about [Jeremiah Smith]. Also there is alot of talk about EE out wide and Innis/Rogers making noise in the slot. All these scenarios would be less Tate.
It’s true that Carnell Tate was overlooked this spring. The bottom line is that he’s now a known commodity after playing well as a freshman. Yes, he still needs to get better. But he’s already being talked about in the clear-cut top of the Buckeyes receiving pecking order with Emeka Egbuka, and even Hartline was talking that way. That doesn’t happen by accident. So maybe he was a bit behind the scenes this spring while attention was rightfully paid to new weapons Brandon Inniss, who didn’t play much last year, and the five-star freshman Smith.
Don’t think Tate has slipped on the depth chart at all. He’s done quite the opposite. As he keeps working and making himself a top option at receiver, the attention will shift back his way, especially if he opens the season with an impressive start and a few touchdown grabs in September.
Illibuck87 asks…
Who are the three starters on the field for the first snap?
What three lead the team in snaps for the season?
First snap: Carnell Tate, Emeka Egbuka. This is predicting a run-heavy formation to set the tone on the Chip Kelly play-calling era. The first play of the season will be a run, I’ll predict. Two receivers will be on the field with two tight ends, the quarterback under center and a single back in the backfield.
As for the season, I truly believe if they stay healthy, Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss will lead the team in snaps. That doesn’t mean Jeremiah Smith won’t play; he will play starter-level snaps. But the top three receivers at the beginning of the year will end up leading this team in snaps — with Smith closely trailing behind.
California bagman asks…
Who leads the team in the following?
Receptions –
TDS-
Yards –
Receptions: Egbuka. More on him below.
Touchdowns: Let’s go with Carnell Tate. He’s a big body who can beat teams over the top and could be an effective target in the red zone. Sounds like scores to me.
Yards: Emeka Egbuka. He’s too shifty, too hard to cover and too good from any formation or stance. Egbuka just gets open and finds ways to move the chains, making him a quarterback’s best friend. He will break the Buckeyes career yardage record with a 1,000-yard season and lead the Buckeyes offense.
Anon1716375558 asks…
Will Hartline play more than 4 WRs in 24-25?
Short answer: yes.
Long answer: it’s a couple of questions, not an answer. Can Jayden Ballard finally show some consistency? Is Bryson Rodgers ready to be a factor? And do the Buckeyes stay healthy?
Those all need to be answered before we can just know for sure if Hartline is going to dig deeper into the pool of talent Ohio State has at wide receiver. Good question, though.
The post Lettermen Row member mailbag: Wide Receiver Week questions answered appeared first on On3.
