Ohio State wide receiver stats prediction for 2024

With college football season just around the corner, it’s time to see how the Ohio State Buckeyes wide receivers will perform this season.

Newly hired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will have a new group of talented wideouts at his disposal, along with a veteran key player in the form of Emeka Egbuka to lead his offense. Here are my predictions on how the best wide receivers will perform this year.

The Buckeyes’ veteran pass catcher is back for his final season and is set for a big year.

Egbuka has the most experience in the wide receiver room entering this season. Despite his disappointing 2023 season, Egbuka has had an incredible career at Ohio State. The Washington native has totaled over 1,800 yards with 14 touchdowns and needs just 77 more receptions to break former Buckeye KJ Hill’s record of 201 career receptions.

This is Egbuka’s first season where he won’t have to compete for targets with NFL-ready young players, so he has a chance to lead the Buckeyes in receiving yards. Both Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are emerging stars, but still need time to develop.

Prediction 2024: 79 pass catches, 1,025 yards, eight touchdowns

Losing a generational talent like Marvin Harrison Jr. is never ideal for a program, but freshman Jeremiah Smith could eventually follow in his footsteps.

The former five-star wideout in the class of 2024 has received a ton of praise since arriving in Columbus. Smith possesses a rare combination of size, strength and athleticism while also being a skilled route runner.

He recently ranked 7th on college football analyst Bruce Feldman’s “Freak List”:

The five-star recruit from South Florida already looks like an NFL wide receiver, and a big one at that. He’s 6’3″ and 215 pounds. In the offseason, Smith bench pressed 350 pounds and squatted 500 pounds. He has a 10-10 broad jump and a 36-inch high jump. His top speed is staggering at 23.5 mph. Everything about him is top-notch, we’re told, especially his work ethic.

– Bruce Feldman

There’s no doubt that Smith could be one of Ohio State’s next great pass receivers, but the question is how big of an impact he’ll have in year one. Ohio State legend Cris Carter holds the record for most receiving yards as a freshman with 648, and I think Smith could easily break that record this season.

Prediction 2024: 50 pass catches, 750 yards, five touchdowns

With all the hype surrounding Egbuka and Smith, many people tend to forget about sophomore prodigy Carnell Tate.

In his first season with the Buckeyes, the former four-star wide receiver caught fans’ attention after his performance against the Purdue Boilermakers. Tate finished the 2023 season with 264 yards on 18 catches.

Last month, I wrote an article about how Tate was headed for a breakout year with the Buckeyes. I still stand by that opinion, but the second-year wide receiver will have to compete for targets with the rest of the crowded pass-catching group. If Egbuka stays primarily in the slot, Tate will be a perfect “Z” receiver opposite Smith. He could also spend some time in the slot, as he played 26 percent of the time in the slot in 2023.

Prediction 2024: 45 pass catches, 685 yards, four touchdowns