Emeka Egbuka, No. 1 receiver for 2021, commits to Ohio State

Ohio State waded through the murky waters of an unceasing dead period and landed one of the nation’s best prospects just before early signing day Friday.

Five-star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, the No. 1 wideout in the country and No. 11 prospect overall, selected the Buckeyes over Oklahoma and in-state Washington.

Perhaps as impressive as the Steilacoom standout’s skills is the incredible run of success Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline has embarked on the past two cycles for the Buckeyes.

Hartline hauled in four receivers ranked among the top 60 players nationally for the class of 2020, including five-stars Julian Fleming and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Now Egbuka joins four-stars Marvin Harrison, Jr. and Jayden Ballard for the class of 2021.

Harrison clocks in at No. 84 nationally while Ballard sits at No. 141.

Adding the two classes up, Hartline has landed seven wide receivers the past two years, and all seven land in the top 150 prospects for their class. Six are in the top 85.

Egbuka is the 21st commitment for Ohio State in the class of 2021 and gives the Buckeyes 2936 total points in the 2021 team rankings. They still trail Alabama by 200 points for the No. 1 spot in the team standings, but have a secure edge over the 2,654 points gathered by No. 3 Oregon.

Oklahoma appeared to pick up a lot of steam in the run up to Egbuka’s decision with a visit this past weekend, but the Sooners couldn’t gain enough momentum to overtake Ohio State given Hartline and head coach Ryan Day’s relationships with the recruit and his family.

"He's developed a very deep relationship with coach Hartline, and so have we. We really hold coach Hartline in high regard," Egbuka's mother, Rhonda Ogilvie said. "I think, also, the receiver room is quite deep, and he knows going there will be very challenging in a good way where he really will have to earn every single thing that he gets."

Egbuka also knows playing Big Ten competition and developing at a program such as Ohio State provides a clear road map to the professional ranks.

"He knows the program is just established," Ogilvie said. "It's well-known, sends a lot of people to the NFL. That's, of course, his dream. I know he knows he will be developed there."

Stayed tuned with BuckeyeGrove for more info on the impact of Egbuka’s commitment.