Chris Olave had already announced that his Ohio State career was complete.

He released his statement on Twitter, thanking his teammates, coaches, Buckeye Nation, telling them he would still be at the Rose Bowl to cheer on his teammates.

And then there was practice the next morning: Olave lined up with his helmet on like nothing ever changed. Redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud took the snap as the senior receiver ran a simple out route, taking the pass in stride; one of the last times that would happen for him at the college level.

To sophomore Jaxon Smith-Njigba, it just shows Olave’s want to be a part of the team one last time, showing his love for the brotherhood.

The San Marcos, California native wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. And for him, it seems to be much more than just taking part in the game at the end of the week.

“Yeah, one last shot with the guys for sure,” Smith-Njigba said. “We're rooming together, so it's great to him be there and still be supportive and help me out and still talk to me about like what he sees and what he wants to see. Yeah, it means a lot for sure.”

Ohio State offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Kevin Wilson that no one really knew about Olave’s status for the bowl game until the Buckeyes arrived in California, and that his work has been “very, very minimal.”

Instead, Wilson said Olave’s focus is on being solely a great team leader and a great teammate by being present as Ohio State completes its season.

“He's a verbal guy, but he's not overly outgoing on the verbal page deal,” Wilson said. “I think him being out there and doing light things in practice and making some bullets to receivers is one of his best ways of leading and how he's trying to lead and finish off his role as one of our team leaders.”

With Olave watching from the sideline, the Ohio State wide receiver room has begun its transition process.

Smith-Njigba has begun the process of being a leader in the room, something he said he started even before he arrived to the Rose Bowl in California, while Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Julian Fleming begin to fill the shoes of Olave and junior Garrett Wilson, who also opted out of the 2021 season finale.

Olave’s there to make sure that process goes without a hitch, to show up every day and be that leader: to be in the ears of his former teammates, telling them what they are going to see Saturday and how to pass that on to the next generation of receivers.

“You've got to show up every day, and you've got to be a leader,” Smith-Njigba said. “He was more of an ‘I'm going to show you how to do it.’”

That’s what Olave’s legacy with Ohio State will be inside the program, even if the last pass he caught in an Ohio State uniform from Stroud was on a Rose Bowl practice field.

Scarlet and Gray Report's Jack Emerson contributed to this report.