Emeka Egbuka becoming ‘multifaceted’ as Ohio State kick returner, receiver

COLUMBUS — Standing almost alone near the Buckeyes end zone awaiting kickoff, Emeka Egbuka showed he’s dangerous when the football landed in his hands.

He’s just as dangerous with people around him at wide receiver.

Egbuka caught a team-high 21.2 yards per catch last season, spanning nine receptions and totaling 191 receiving yards. Making his debut with Ohio State a year ago, Egbuka said there are big expectations for both himself and the Buckeyes in 2022.

“Just to be the best room in America,” Egbuka said. “We're going to hold ourselves to the high standard. We're mad every time a ball is on the ground.”

Arriving as an early enrollee around when Ohio State advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2021, Egbuka said he quickly noticed the intensity of football in the Big Ten compared to the high school ranks in his native Steilacoom, Washington.

“It's way different than high school. I mean, football is football, but at the same time, the play speed is way faster,” Egbuka said. “I feel like this year I'm playing with a lot more confidence, and I'm excited to see what the season has in store.”

Egbuka played in 11 games last season as a true freshman, but landed atop the Big Ten in kick return yards with an average of 29 yards per attempt. He caught 20 kick returns for a total of 580 yards.

As a receiver, Egbuka flashed big-play ability, such as taking his first reception 85 yards for a touchdown against Akron in Week 4.

Wide receivers coach Brian Hartline said he thinks Egbuka has “just continued to be multifaceted” wherever he’s playing, showing signs of growth as he develops entering his second season with the Buckeyes.

“His ability to sell a return one way and go the other, I mean, that's body language on a route run,” Hartline said. “A lot of those things that he does translates, but it just shows you, again, how smart of a player he is and how he applies it to his game.”

Egbuka said the Buckeyes envision him going into Week 1 as the primary kick returner. He came ever-so-close to scoring Ohio State’s first touchdown on a kick return since Jordan Hall against Michigan in 2010, posting a season-long return of 67 yards against Maryland Week 6 and returning 163 yards total in the Rose Bowl.

More than a decade has passed since an Ohio State returner has taken a kick all the way to the end zone, but Egbuka said he feels that could change this season.

“I feel confident with the returning people we have on the kickoff return team and the new people who have stepped up,” Egbuka said. “We had great blocks last year and I am very confident in having great blocks again.”

Egbuka’s receiver teammates know how potent he can be when the ball is in his hands.

Sophomore wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. said Egbuka is a “playmaker,” one thing he is sure of as the two enter their second seasons primed for larger roles on the field.

“Just get the ball in his hands, he's going to make something happen,” Harrison said. “He's that kick returner for a reason. He's that kind of player. I don't think there's nothing on the field that he can't do. He's going to be special for sure.”

Egbuka said he’s spent more time with third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud to build their chemistry.

Whether he’s playing kick returner or garnering more offensive snaps as a receiver, Egbuka said he and the Buckeyes are putting in extra work after hours in practice “to perfect our craft.”

“It was definitely big to get those reps in with C.J.,” Egbuka said. “Now we're building trust. We're able to connect more on a lot of bigger stuff, so that's going to be huge for the season.”