Marvin Harrison Jr. was just waiting his turn.
The Ohio State wide receiver room was already full with the trio of Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2021, taking passes from quarterback C.J. Stroud to put together the No. 1 scoring and total offense in the country.
Harrison’s first opportunity came on the biggest stage possible: in the Rose Bowl. But it didn’t scare him. He was up for the challenge, following the advice Olave gave to him throughout the week of preparation.
“Be out there and be confident,” Harrison heard from the senior. “Have confidence in yourself. You can make all the plays you need.”
Harrison did make all the plays he needed against Utah, capping off his freshman season with six catches on eight targets for 71 yards and three touchdowns: a 25-yard fade from the slot into the front-left corner of the end zone, an easy eight-yard pitch-and-catch into the back of the end zone and a five-yard outside fade, none of which the freshman could distinguish as his favorite.
“Yeah, I call Marv Route Man Marv,” Stroud said. “His routes are amazing, especially against a good corner like No. 8…. I have respect for their defense, but when my guys are rolling, I think we're pretty much unstoppable.”
Stroud may have been used to Harrison in practice, but it was really something Harrison hadn’t been used to in game play.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound receiver — a former four-star in the 2021 class — brought in five catches for 68 yards all season heading into the Rose Bowl, never amounting for more than two catches in a single game.
But this was normal for the Ohio State wide receiver room. Receivers not named Smith-Njigba, Wilson or Olave brought in 22 catches heading into the Rose Bowl — with only one receiver in freshman Emeka Egbuka recording more than three receptions in a single game — for 305 receiving yards and one touchdown: a four-yard score by sophomore Julian Fleming.
To compare, Olave, Wilson and Smith-Njigba combined for 215 receptions, 3,254 receiving yards and 31 touchdown receptions heading into the Rose Bowl, numbers Harrison and company will strive to reach in 2022.
It’s his turn after all. A pressure he felt heading into the Rose Bowl.
Harrison said practice and warmups didn’t feel different in Pasadena ahead of his breakout performance. Instead he felt a pressure that’s always been there.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself, so any outside pressure didn’t really affect me,” Harrison said. “I have high standards for myself.”
To Harrison, he was just doing his part against the Utes, just like the offensive line, the running backs, the other receivers and Stroud did.
To Stroud, Harrison’s performance was a stepping stone, a preview for what 2022 could look like.
“We've got to go out there and prove it, you know what I'm saying?” Stroud said. “Marv had a great game. He showed you all a little glimpse. He has way more in his bag. Julian, I know he popped his little shoulder out, but he has way more in his bag as well. I know they'll hit their peak next year.”
The peak began with a boost of confidence from a three-touchdown performance in the Rose Bowl, something Harrison said only create momentum heading into the 2022 season opener against Notre Dame.
For him, it’s really the only option.
He has to follow the footsteps of those before him, follow the expectation Smith-Njigba will continue to set in 2022.
Harrison is one of the Ohio State wide receivers that are next in line.
“It’s the next man up,” Smith-Njigba said of Harrison. “We had great, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, those guys led the way. Now we just have to take over.”