Hartline gives WR update, kind of…
COVER PHOTO: Ohio State offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline talks to receivers Marvin Harrison, Jr. (18) and Jayden Ballard (9) during their sixth spring practice of the season at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on March 28, 2023. Pic by Sam Fahmi/Columbus Wired.
There’s no doubt that whoever ends up starting at quarterback this year for Ohio State will be champing at the bit to chuck the pigskin all over the field because the Buckeyes are loaded at receiver.
The Scarlet and Gray not only return several upperclassmen - including All-American Marvin Harrison, Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming, Xavier Johnson, Jayden Ballard and tight end Cade Stover - but five underclassmen from last year’s class as well as five more from this year’s class that were all rated at least four stars or higher coming out of high school.
The five from last year’s class are wide receivers Kaleb Brown, Kyion Grayes, Caleb Burton and Kojo Antwi, and tight end Bennett Christian. The four receivers all ranked in the top 26 wide receivers in the nation per 247Sports’ composite rankings and Christian was ranked the 20th-best tight end.
This year’s incomers are receivers Brandon Inniss, Noah Rogers, Carnell Tate and Bryson Rodgers as well as tight end Jelani Thurman. Inniss, Rogers and Tate all ranked in the top nine nationally with Inniss coming in as not only the only five-star receiver in the class but OSU’s only five-star recruit overall. Thurman is considered the class’s third-best tight end. Rodgers was in the top 50. All with the exception of Inniss have already enrolled.
That’s a slew of stellar talent. Maybe almost a little too much? As the old saying goes, sometimes there can be too many chefs in the kitchen.
So how many guys are going to have a legitimate shot of seeing time on the field? Those seem like questions best answered by the guy who would know best, Ohio State’s current wide receivers coach and new offensive coordinator, Brian Hartline.
“I would say that we are,” he said, taking a few seconds to think about it, “a good six or seven deep right now. And that’s really good.”
The big question, though, which six or seven is it?
Hartline remained mum.
“That’s a secret,” he said.
Hartline said the guys who would be in the four-to-six range are further along than those four-to-six were at this time last year.
“Everyone’s being pushed, everyone’s growing and having these extra reps with a couple guys out have been awesome.”
Those “couple guys” are Fleming and Egbuka - the latter of which became only the ninth receiver in school history to have a 1,000-yard season and whose 1,151 yards now rank ahead of Cris Carter for the fifth-best single season ever - are sitting out to heal injuries.
With those two out, it has meant more meaningful reps for guys like walk-on, third-year receiver Reis Stocksdale - who’s been running with the first-team - Kaleb Brown, Antwi, Tate, Rogers and Rodgers. Reps that undoubtedly will give them not only confidence but experience if given the chance their number is called to slap on the helmet and hit the field.
Brown, Rogers, Tate and Antwi were all seen running with the second-team during this past Saturday’s practice while Rodgers was partaking with the third-team.
However, Hartline conceded that some of those guys’ reps will certainly decrease once Egbuka and Fleming get healthy, something those guys are aware of.
“They know that those (reps) are eventually going to go away so as long as we’re maximizing those, we’ll be in a much better position come fall camp.”
One guy who has been somewhat under the radar for the last couple of seasons but has been maximizing this opportunity is Ballard.
The third-year receiver out of Massillon (Ohio) Washington High School was rated as the third-overall player in the state of Ohio and the nation’s best receiver for the class of 2021 and was a U.S. Army All-American.
When asked on Saturday about Ballard and whether or not it’s “go-time” for him, head coach Ryan Day said indeed it is.
“This is it for J.B. and he knows that, this is his time,” he said.
However, Hartline had a slightly different opinion. One where he still sees Ballard has time to grow.
“It's always his time," Hartline said. "He can be here for six years if he wants to, so he's halfway through his time. He's on a good path and he knows that.”
Ballard came in two years ago and redshirted as a true freshman, giving him three more years of eligibility, including the upcoming season.
Hartline said Ballard has checked all of the boxes so far this spring as to what’s been expected of him and he’s ahead of where he was at this time last year. Even if it has made Hartline somewhat upset.
“I’ve been P.O.’d with him because I thought where he could’ve been last fall is where he is now and I wish where he is now was last fall and he’s six months behind. But, you know, it’s all good, (you) just (need to) press him and he’s done a great job.”
“His growth as a complete player is the key to all his goals and if one of his goals is playing a lot at Ohio State or being a starter … you’re not going to be a starter if you’re not doing it all at a high level. That’s the standard, that’s the goal and he knows that and he’s growing in all of those facets. If you made a list of them, he’s doing better in all of them.”
Day had the same sentiment about Ballard and said on Saturday why Ballard has been turning heads so far this spring.
“(He) came in with some really talented guys but he’s talented, too. You can see his speed, you can see his change of direction. You know, even at the workouts the other day, he caught a lot of people’s eyes. He has the ability and hopefully if he can continue to make plays like he did today, then he can start producing for us,” Day said on Saturday.
Ohio State has another practice on Thursday as well as Saturday which will also be Student Appreciation Day.