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Ohio State consistently cranks out top-end wide receiver talent. Who are the 10 best Buckeye wide receivers of all time, based on their college careers?
Year in and year out in recent history, Ohio State seemingly always has a first-round NFL talent at the wide receiver position. Brian Hartline is arguably the best positional recruiter in the country, and his development is not too shabby, either.
While the Buckeyes of late have been particularly impressive, receiver success is not a new thing at The Ohio State University. Columbus has produced studs at the position for years and calling it “WRU” is not a stretch, although LSU also contends for that title.
Based solely on their college careers, let’s rank the top 10 wide receivers in Ohio State history. Remember, their NFL career has no impact on these rankings as these solely take their time in Columbus into account.
Honorable Mentions
Michael Thomas, Santonio Holmes, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Terry McLaurin
That’s right -- Ohio State’s wide receiver history is so rich that current NFL studs like Wilson, Smith-Njigba, and McLaurin don’t even cut the top 10 in program history.
Michael Thomas won a national title at Ohio State, but never exceeded 799 yards in a season. Santonio Holmes is a Super Bowl legend and even an Ohio State legend with 3,496 yards and 25 touchdown catches in his collegiate career, but he misses the cut here.
Wilson and Smith-Njigba’s paths crossed in the Buckeye State, as they played together in 2020 and 2021. Wilson and Chris Olave famously stated that Smith-Njigba was better than they were, and he walked the walk with a legendary 15-catch, 347-yard, three-touchdown performance in the 2022 Rose Bowl. Wilson and Smith-Njigba both had better single-season stats than Olave, who checks in later on this list, but that goes to show how close the margins are with the plethora of legendary Buckeye receivers.
McLaurin is coming off the best NFL season of his six-year career after finally being paired with a franchise quarterback. He had an underrated college career but was overshadowed by Parris Campbell and K.J. Hill in his final year in Columbus before being drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft.
10 - Michael Jenkins (2000-03)
Michael Jenkins never stood out in the NFL, but he did end up playing a nine-year career. Jenkins’ Ohio State achievements include catching the famous “Holy Buckeye” pass in 2002 against Purdue to stay unbeaten, as well as being the clear-cut WR1 on the national title team with 1,076 yards and six touchdowns. Jenkins was a first-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft and still holds the all-time receiving yards record for Ohio State.
Happy Holy Buckeye Anniversary, Ohio.
Pay homage. pic.twitter.com/KzQbEddqt6
— HOMAGE (@HOMAGE) November 9, 2018
9 - Emeka Egbuka (2021-24)
Emeka Egbuka ended his Buckeye career as a national champion, the school record holder in receptions (205), and second in school history in receiving yards (2,868). He will more than likely hear his name called in the first round in April as one of the top receivers off the board, yet another Buckeye set up for NFL success.
While Egbuka was never the top receiver on his team (behind Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2022-23, behind Jeremiah Smith in 2024), he was a monster and still managed to break school records.
Emeka Egbuka
Elite hands. pic.twitter.com/MsVRW7efUb
— Elite Drafters (@Elite_Drafters) February 8, 2025
8 - Joey Galloway (1991-94)
Now an ESPN analyst, Joey Galloway played a 16-year NFL career after dominating in college en route to becoming the eighth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft.
The early 1990s were a different era in college football, so his receiving numbers don’t pop off the page like some of the more recent Buckeye receivers. Still, Galloway was dominant and warranted the ball in his hands. His best season came in 1993 when he recorded 963 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns.
7 - Terry Glenn (1993-95)
Terry Glenn’s life was tragically taken too soon, as he passed away at the age of 43 in a traffic accident in 2017. Glenn played a successful 12-year NFL career after being selected seventh overall in the 1996 NFL Draft.
After recording just 266 yards throughout his first two seasons as a Buckeye, Glenn exploded in 1995 for 57 catches, 1,316 yards, and 17 touchdowns while playing alongside Heisman winner Eddie George. His touchdown mark still stands as a single-season school record with his receiving yard mark sitting third all-time in single-season school history.
6 - Ted Ginn Jr. (2004-06)
I may have ranked him a little high due to nostalgia, but Ted Ginn Jr. was one of my earliest memories as a Buckeye fan. He was always a threat to take it the distance with the ball in his hands and ended up carving out a 14-year NFL career after being selected ninth overall in the 2007 NFL Draft.
He recorded 135 catches for 1,943 yards and 15 touchdowns over his three-year Buckeye career but even more impressive was his eight return touchdowns (six punt, two kick).
The Glenville Way. #GoBucks
— Ted Ginn Jr (@TedGinnJr_19) February 9, 2025
5 - Jeremiah Smith (2024-Present)
Also maybe a little high due to recency bias, but Jeremiah Smith’s true freshman season was unlike anything ever before seen in Buckeye history. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound freshman phenom caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to a national title.
When all is said and done two years from now, he will likely be the clear-cut No. 1 on this list. As long as he stays healthy, he should hold several Ohio State records. Receivers don’t often get picked first overall -- none have since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996 -- but it will be hard for any team to pass up on Smith in the 2027 NFL Draft.
4 - David Boston (1996-98)
His NFL career was cut short due to injuries, but David Boston was dominant at Ohio State before being selected eighth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. Boston ranks third in school history in career receptions and receiving yards while ranking second in receiving touchdowns.
His shining moment came in the 1997 Rose Bowl when he caught a game-winning touchdown with 19 seconds on the clock. He continued to succeed post-college, leading the NFL in receiving yards in 2001, but only played six seasons in the league.
3 - Chris Olave (2018-21)
Chris Olave was just a three-star recruit coming to Ohio State, but he quickly made his mark with a massive blocked punt against Michigan in his true freshman season.
He exploded onto the scene as a sophomore with 849 catches and 12 touchdowns and would have put up even better numbers as a junior had the season not been cut short due to COVID-19. His best statistical season came as a senior, as he grabbed 65 catches for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Now Chris Olave blocks the Michigan punt and Ohio State returns it for the score 😨#GoBuckspic.twitter.com/U4ufJZc6xK
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) November 24, 2018
Olave holds the Ohio State record for career receiving touchdowns while sitting fourth in receptions and sixth in receiving yards. He was drafted 11th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft after sustained success in college.
2 - Cris Carter (1984-86)
Not only is he one of the best receivers in Vikings history after a 16-year NFL career, but Cris Carter is one of the best to ever put on an Ohio State uniform. Carter ranks fifth in career receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in OSU history.
As a true freshman, he set a Rose Bowl record with nine receptions for 172 yards. He went on to be one of the most dominant players in Buckeye history, but before his senior season, he secretly signed a deal with a sports agent that deemed him ineligible. He entered the 1987 supplemental draft, in which he was selected as a fourth-round pick. The rest is history.
1 - Marvin Harrison Jr. (2021-23)
After being selected fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, Marvin Harrison Jr. is the highest-drafted receiver in Ohio State history. His career warrants the honor. Despite really only playing for two seasons (he hardly saw the field as a freshman), Harrison ranks third in Ohio State career receiving touchdowns with 31.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is UNREAL 😳
What a grab this was by the @OhioStateFB WR 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YgNlL9akEM
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 12, 2022
He was the most physically gifted receiver in Ohio State history until Jeremiah Smith’s emergence just one year later. His 2022 season (1,263 yards) and 2023 season (1,211 yards) rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in OSU single-season receiving yards. Some of the catches Harrison made were seemingly impossible.
While he may not hold this ranking for long, Harrison is currently the greatest Buckeye receiver of all time.
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