Ohio State's wide receiver room has not been built by a "perfect science" cultivated by position coach Brian Hartline. But there has been a system that's worked.
Hartline wants the best receivers for Ohio State, not necessarily the best player available, showcasing a multitude of diverse skills or abilities that want to be developed and molded into the receivers that shine at the next level, much like Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson have the opportunity to do next season.
“If that’s something you are looking for, you can be the next man up. But if you want to be the first one somewhere, I mean, that’s OK too," Hartline said. "We just really pride ourselves on we know the path, we know the recipe, we know what it takes. And if we tell you you can be one of those guys, you can be one of those guys.”
Here's a look at what Hartline's room could look like for the next four seasons.
2022
X receiver
1. Marvin Harrison Jr.
2. Jayden Ballard
3. Xavier Johnson
Z receiver
1. Emeka Egbuka
2. Julian Fleming
3. Kamryn Babb
Slot receiver
1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba
2. Kyion Grayes
3. Caleb Burton
Ohio State's depth chart is seemingly set heading into 2022.
Two of the top three spots are secured, with both Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba returning, while Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming will continue their battle for that No. 3 spot into the fall with the other starting the season as the first receiver off the bench.
Even past those four members of the room that are projected to get the most playing time with quarterback C.J. Stroud next season, there are still possible candidates to take a next step, whether it's Jayden Ballard, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound receiver that seems to be sort of the forgotten man in the 2021 class that included both Harrison and Egbuka, or Kamryn Babb, who is hoping for one final healthy season after multiple torn ACLs.
In a room that's incredibly systematic in terms of moving up the depth chart, there shouldn't be many surprises heading into 2022 with two spots to fill after the departures of both Olave and Wilson.
