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It didn't take long for several Ohio State players to make their mark in the 2022 college football season.
Five Buckeyes made the Associated Press's All-Big Ten First Team after a season that saw the squad go 11-2 overall and 8-1 against conference opponents. Defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg highlighted the selections on defense. Quarterback C.J. Stroud, receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and offensive tackle Paris Johnson made up the team's honorees on offense.
Ohio State will enter a defining football season when they face the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington on Sept. 2. They will take on the No. 19-ranked Wisconsin Badgers, No. 2 Michigan Wolverines and No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions during their 2023 campaign. Wisconsin hired former Ohio State assistant and Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell as their head coach last November.
Two of the team's top contributors, Harrison and receiver Emeka Egbuka, will return to the lineup in 2023. Both receivers played an essential role on an offense that led the Big Ten in passing yards per game with 294.2, according to BigTen.com.
What are some bold predictions for Marvin Harrison Jr. as the Buckeyes enter the 2023 season?
4. Marvin Harrison Jr. will lead Big Ten, take top-3 national spot in receiving yards
Harrison came close to leading the conference in receiving yards in 2022.
He fell just behind Purdue wide receiver Charlie Jones. Jones, who the Cincinnati Bengals selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, hauled in 1,361 yards and 12 touchdowns in his line season with the Boilermakers. He recorded as many as 188 receiving yards in a game against Syracuse last September, adding on one receiving touchdown as the Orange took a 32-29 victory over Purdue in JMA Wireless Dome.
Harrison still took spots ahead of Egbuka, Nebraska wide receiver Trey Palmer and Michigan receiver Ronnie Bell. He took sixth place in the country in total receiving yards last season, ahead of Egbuka, Tulsa receiver Keylon Stokes and Iowa State receiver Xavier Hutchinson.
They must find their answer under center after Stroud was taken with the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Quarterbacks Kyle McCord and Devin Brown will return to the roster in 2023. Still, Harrison will have a shot at leading the conference in total receiving yards next season if he continues to prove he can be an outstanding option in Ohio State's receiving corps.
3. Marvin Harrison Jr. will win Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year
It's hard to name a better duo than Ohio State and the Big Ten's Offensive Player of the Year award.
Stroud won the Big Ten's Graham–George Offensive Player of the Year award in 2022. He took second place in the Big Ten with 3,340 passing yards and first place in the conference with 37 passing touchdowns.
Ohio State quarterbacks have won the award for five years in a row, according to Sports Reference. The streak began with quarterback Dwayne Haskins in 2018. Stroud and now-Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields would each win the award twice in a row between 2019-22. Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller won the honors twice in 2012-13. Running back Ezekiel Elliott took home the award in 2015.
Former Penn State and now-New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley was the last non-Ohio State quarterback to win the award. Barkley earned back-to-back selections in 2016 and 2017 after he rushed for over 2,700 yards and 36 touchdowns during his sophomore and junior seasons. Former Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who won the award in 2004, was the last wide receiver to earn the honors.
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If Harrison can repeat the dominant season he had last year with either McCord or Brown at the helm, he can continue the streak of Ohio State winning the award in what could be an important season for the Buckeyes.
2. Marvin Harrison Jr. will win the Biletnikoff Award
Harrison, Hutchinson and Tennessee receiver Jalin Hyatt were the three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award in the 2022 season. The award is presented annually to “the season's outstanding college football receiver regardless of position,” according to its website. Hyatt would ultimately end up winning the award after an impressive season of his own for the Volunteers.
Harrison earned a spot on the 2023 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List. He joined Egbuka, Penn State receiver Dante Cephas and the Minnesota duo of Corey Crooms Jr. and Elijah Spencer. Cephas, a four-year veteran for the Kent State Golden Flashes, transferred to the Nittany Lions in January after he ended last season with 744 receiving yards.
Harrison can at least make his case for the Biletnikoff Award with another outstanding season for the Buckeyes.
1. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka will be the nation's top receiver duo
Ohio State has had its fair share of top-tier wide receiving corps over the last 10 years.
It had the trio of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave in 2021. Michael Thomas, Devin Smith and Jalin Marshall all suited up for the Buckeyes in 2014, ending the season with 2,229 combined receiving yards as Ohio State went 14-1 and won the National Championship against Oregon. Parris Campbell, K.J. Hill, Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon made up the more notable names in 2018.
Harrison and Egbuka both broke the 1,000-yard mark during the 2022 season. They finished the year with 1,263 and 1,151 receiving yards, respectively. Senior wide receiver Julian Fleming and freshman wideout Carnell Tate will join them. Tate, a four-star recruit in Ohio State's 2023 recruiting class, committed to the Buckeyes in 2022.
The duo can be one of the best in the country if they can continue carving out their role on Ohio State football's offense with offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline.
