What Ohio State is getting in summer arrival Mylan Graham
COLUMBUS — Ryan Day pretended to faint during his National Signing Day press conference in December after the Ohio State head coach learned that Jeremiah Smith was signing with the Buckeyes. Day’s humorous reaction to securing the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 class went viral, and so did several of Smith’s highlight-reel receptions during the spring season.
Smith doesn’t talk much. But everything about him — his 6-foot-3, 215-pound size, his speed, his ball skills — got people talking this offseason.
Smith became the crown jewel of the 2024 Buckeyes recruiting class as soon as he committed. He’s still in the spotlight, except he’s not the only Ohio State true freshman wideout this season.
The other is Mylan Graham, another On3 Industry Ranking top-40 overall prospect and top-10 receiver this past cycle. Whereas Smith joined the program as an early enrollee in January, Graham is a summer arrival.
“All the attention is on Jeremiah,” Graham told reporters leading up to the Under Armour All-America Bowl in January, “but it doesn’t bother me too much because I know what I can go out there and do.
“Columbus will see when I get there.”
Graham’s Ohio State timeline is different than Smith’s. They had different recruitments, too.
The drama of Smith’s dominated headlines. Although he ultimately stuck out his commitment to Ohio State, several suitors didn’t back down along the way. That included Miami, which earned a hat on the table and serious consideration up until minutes before the Hollywood, Florida, native announced he was signing with the Buckeyes.
On the contrary, Graham told Lettermen Row last September that his recruitment was “out the window.” By that point, his commitment was about a half a year old.
Several schools made a push for him — notably, Tennessee, Miami, Alabama and Purdue — some with significant NIL money and promises of early playing time. But the Buckeyes had a hold on Graham.
He committed on April 4, 2023. Two months later, he camped at Ohio State just to spend more time with longtime Buckeyes receivers coach, and current co-offensive coordinator, Brian Hartline.
“[He] would come to camp and just work with me multiple times, so I feel like he’s already part of the room,” Hartline said of Graham, leading up to the Cotton Bowl last season. “Excited to see him in June. … We’ll have do a good job through the summer catching him up.
“But he’s a quick study. He’ll do a good job.”
Graham had clearly done his homework on Ohio State receivers by the time he spoke with reporters after his Ohio State recruiting camp workout last summer.
Graham rattled off a collection of Buckeyes receivers, past and present, assessing how his play style compares to the crop of highly-touted wideouts he’s following.
At the time, Graham said he said he probably fits the Garrett Wilson mold the most because of his ability to play both inside and out, not to mention Wilson’s top-tier athleticism and spectacular hands.
Graham noted last summer that he’d be watching a lot of now-former Ohio State wideout Julian Fleming because Hartline had told Graham he wanted him to be a Z receiver. That said, due to Graham’s projected versatility in the collegiate ranks, Graham also pointed out the importance of studying Emeka Egbuka in the slot last year.
When Graham committed to Ohio State, he told Lettermen Row that the Buckeyes’ depth at wide receiver didn’t concern him. Graham trusts the plan Hartline has for him. Graham reaffirmed the strength of his connection with Hartline during that post-camp interview last June.
“The more I work with him, the more I understood that it was the best decision for me possible,” Graham said of his choice to pick the Buckeyes. “And I know the more I work with him, the better player I can be.”
Currently listed by On3 as 6-foot-0.5, 185 pounds, Graham is twitchy off the line and quick out of his breaks. He’s hard to track down in the open field as well.
Graham made quite the impression as a junior at New Haven High School, where he became the top Indiana recruit in his cycle. That year, he hauled in 48 passes for 1,149 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. In the process, he averaged 23.9 yards per catch.
The four-star wideout clocked out as the No. 39 overall prospect, and the No. 9 receiver, in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
“One heck of a football player,” Hartline said of Graham in his pre-Cotton Bowl press conference. “Talk about a guy that knew where he wanted to go, came and saw us a lot, made no gripe about going anywhere else or whatever.
“His process was very different than Jeremiah’s, which is fine. They’re both right in their own way. But very thrilled to have [Mylan].”
Graham is flying under the radar, like summer arrivals so often do nowadays. But pretty soon he can remind everyone that Smith’s not the only highly-rated true freshman receiver at Ohio State.
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