Emeka Egbuka has been Ohio State’s starting slot receiver since 2022.
When Jaxon Smith-Njigba suffered a hamstring injury two years ago, the Buckeyes turned to Egbuka to take his place on the inside.
Here’s what you need to know about the most experienced pass catcher ahead of the fall.
Emeka Egbuka made it in the second year
After replacing Smith-Njigba as the Buckeyes’ slot receiver, Egbuka developed into one of their most productive pass catchers.
He caught 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022. The receiving yards are the sixth-most in a season in school history, just ahead of Cris Carter’s 1,127 total in 1986.
Egbuka complemented Marvin Harrison Jr., who had the first of two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons as a pass receiver for the Buckeyes.
Emeka Egbuka has a baseball background
At the age of 8, he won Major League Baseball’s Pitch, Hit & Run contest for his age group.
He played the sport growing up in Steilacoom, Washington, where he played center fielder, and his experience catching fly balls honed his pass-catching skills as a wide receiver.
“I just find it a lot easier to look over my shoulder for a ball,” Egbuka told The Dispatch in 2022, “because I’m so used to running after a ball in midfield.”
Emeka Egbuka was a high-ranking receiver candidate
According to 247Sports’ overall rankings, Egbuka was the most promising receiver in the country in the 2021 recruiting class.
His signing marked the second consecutive recruiting cycle in which Ohio State signed the No. 1 receiver, following Julian Fleming, who had been the top-ranked receiver in the previous class of 2020.
Jeremiah Smith, the Buckeyes’ highly touted rookie from South Florida, was also the highest-ranked recruit at the position in the most recent cycle, making him the first they signed since Egbuka.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State University football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @joeyrkaufman or email him at [email protected].
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