Ohio State made five-star Steilacoom (Wash.) wide receiver Emeka Egbuka a
priority for two years and that paid off on Friday with the Buckeyes landing
the commitment of the nation’s top-ranked senior wide receiver prospect. With
Egbuka now in the fold, the Buckeyes are adding yet another special talent to
their highly regarded 2021 recruiting class.
What Ohio State is getting
Egbuka is the nation’s number one receiver prospect in the 2021 for good
reason. At 6-foot-1, 190-pounds, Egbuka is an explosive athlete in every sense
of the term. He is the type of prospect that hits top speed quickly and can
blow past defenders with pure speed, but he also has a unique ability to
quickly start and stop and change directions, making him an excellent route
runner.
He is also one of the most sure-handed prospects in the class nationally. Not
only does he consistently make all of the easy catches, but he has a unique
ability for the spectacular. He has tremendous hand-eye coordinator and is
able to go up and make those highlight reel one-handed type of catches and
make them look easy in the process.
Perhaps his best asset is his versatility. This is a player who can line up
outside and play a possession type of game, he can stretch the field
vertically from outside and in the slot, and he can work the middle of the
field and use his outstanding feet and quickness as a slot weapon.
In that regard, he does have some Jaxon Smith-Njigba in his game. A player
with good, but not elite, size who can play any of the receiver positions and
excel because of his combination of speed, quickness, ball skills, and
toughness.
This is an extremely well-rounded wide receiver prospect who, despite the
imposing depth chart in Columbus, could absolutely work his way into the
rotation as a true freshman as we’ve seen in recent years from Chris Olave,
Garrett Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
What it means for recruiting
First and foremost, this means that once again Ohio State has likely signed
the top wide receiver crop in the nation after doing so last year in the 2020
cycle. The trio of Egbuka along with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jayden Ballard,
is a formidable one and keeps the pipeline of elite talent flowing through
Brian Hartline’s wide receiver room.
Ohio State is of course finished recruiting the position for the rest of the
2021 cycle and can now turn its full attention to the 2022 and 2023 classes,
with the 2022 class already having a pledge from Caleb Burton, who might be
the nation’s top receiver in that class. This commitment just continues to
validate Brian Hartline as perhaps the nation’s top recruiter and is another
huge national victory for Hartline who is a rising star in the coaching ranks.
Elsewhere on the recruiting trail, Egbuka’s commitment may be a small boost to
Ohio State’s clear cut top remaining target. While five-star defensive lineman
J.T. Tuimoloau won’t let this commitment completely sway his decision, having
a fellow Washington star already in the fold for the Buckeyes in this class,
combined with his relationship with Ohio State freshman Gee Scott Jr., can
only stand to help Ohio State in its pursuit of Tuimoloau.
