The Ohio State Buckeyes will need to figure out how to get the ball to Marvin Harrison Jr. again.
Kyle McCord may have been high school teammates in Philadelphia with Ohio State star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., but Saturday was not a good look for the Buckeyes' passing game.
Yes, Ohio State improved to 1-0 on the year, but the Buckeyes' offense looked rather listless in its 23-3 road victory over the hapless Indiana Hoosiers. There was a point in the game where the Buckeyes' best player looked like he got hurt. Harrison is projected to be a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, possibly going one-two with USC star quarterback Caleb Williams to the Arizona Cardinals.
Obviously, there is only one logical move to make: Give Harrison the Jaxon Smith-Njigba treatment!
Smith-Njigba was a first-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks last spring, despite hardly playing during his final season in Columbus. He had his breakout game in the Scarlet and Grey two Rose Bowls ago...
Ohio State fan suggests Marvin Harrison Jr. sit out the rest of the season
Look. I understand the sentiment from a draft perspective standpoint and a potential NFL future, but sitting out a season is absolutely ridiculous at this point, especially now that we live in the fantastically wonderful world of NIL. Harrison is the son of a college football legend and a Pro Football Hall of Famer in his namesake father. Pedigree is on his side, so he has a fallback plan if he gets hurt.
More importantly, I cannot see a way Ohio State beats Michigan and Penn State en route to a Big Ten championship without its best offensive player available when it counts. Understandably, McCord cannot play like that against pretty much any other Big Ten team on the road and expect a Buckeye W to follow. His backup Devin Brown got some run, but it was a dismal day over in Bloomington for them.
Overall, Ohio State has two more tune-up games before the ill-fated Notre Dame game up in South Bend before conference play reignites vs. Maryland in early October. If the Buckeyes can move the sticks aerially with any confidence vs. Youngstown Stae and Western Kentucky, then they will have a chance vs. the Golden Domers at their place in three weeks. Otherwise, this could be a rough year...
Putting Harrison on ice would be like punting on the season in the first quarter, so stop with that stuff!
