Day breaks down 'excellent' early impressions of Harrison Jr., Henderson

The palpable buzz of Ohio State’s 2021 recruiting class seems to intensify by the day.

Last week, early-enrollees Marvin Harrison Jr. and TreVeyon Henderson became the first two Buckeye skill players to lose their black stripes, with Harrison receiving the honor on Tuesday and Henderson joining him on Saturday morning.

According to Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, Harrison, a four-star recruit and the No. 15 wide receiver in his class, has showcased the work ethic and consistent focus of a much more experienced player.

“A lot of discipline,” Day said of his freshman receiver. “Excellent attention to detail with his routes. Somebody who cares a lot.”

The son of 13-year NFL veteran Marvin Harrison, the younger Harrison has seen what it takes to play at the professional level.

Though he still sits behind Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and an extended list of talented receivers on the Ohio State roster, Harrison has already impressed Day with his commitment to working every day.

“He’s in here after hours, he’s here early in the morning, he takes a lot of pride in his work, and he’s making plays,” Day said. “Again, just a freshman who has a long way to go, but early impressions have been excellent.”

As a slight bonus, Harrison has had the comfort of catching passes thrown in practice by fellow St. Joseph’s Prep graduate Kyle McCord, who tossed the majority of his receptions in high school and is currently in a three-way battle to become Ohio State’s starting quarterback come fall.

Another name familiarizing himself to a major position battle is Henderson, a four-star recruit and the No. 4 running back in the class of 2021.

In a room headed by Master Teague and filled with an embarrassment of promising talent, Henderson still has a long way to go to secure playing time as a true freshman, especially considering the fact that he played zero snaps of high school football in 2020 after his season was canceled.

“Still really young, didn’t play last year, hasn’t played football in a while,” Day said of Henderson. “That’s the interesting thing-- he and a few other guys who are young-- last year, he didn’t play high school ball.”

Even so, early returns have been very promising from the Virginia native, Day said, adding that nothing is more important to Henderson’s development right now than practice time.

“He has done a good job, he’s had a good attitude, he’s had a good work ethic, and he’s done everything right so far,” Day said. “Now, he’s still gotta play more and learn every day. He needs a million reps.”

Like his classmate Harrison (and nearly everyone on the Ohio State roster), there is no question of the talent Henderson has.

Throw in a penchant for hard work and the overall competitiveness of the running back room as a whole (there are six names fighting for playing time in 2021!), and Henderson is laying a very solid foundation for the future.

“The talent is there, the work ethic is there, and I think he’s gonna have a bright future here,” Day said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do so far. He’s flashed at times. Excited to see what that looks like in the spring game.”

With three young quarterbacks and a wave of talented recruiting classes coming into the Woody Hayes Athletic Center each year, the future is seemingly as bright as it has ever been in Columbus.

That future begins this spring with players like Harrison and Henderson.