Arizona Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. made a bold claim about the legacy he left at Ohio State.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Appearing on “The Trenches Show” with Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin after a joint practice between the Cardinals and Colts, Harrison was asked if he would put himself in the top-5 wide receivers to come out of Ohio State.
“I think I’m the best,” Harrison said. “You look at it from a numbers standpoint on a per-game basis … Then, you look at the accolades: Heisman finalist; I think we only had one other Biletnikoff Award winner, Terry Glenn; two-time receiver of the year; Big 10 Player of the Year. You can go down the whole list, unanimous All-American back-to-back years, I did it all.
“From an Ohio State standpoint, they always say, ‘Well, you didn’t beat the team up north (Michigan).’ So it’s like I didn’t, I think that’s a team accomplishment, but I think that’ll be the only thing you can really say I didn’t do. That’s why I think I’m the best from an accolade and statistical standpoint.”
Heard you, @MarvHarrisonJr ????#TheTrenchesShow pic.twitter.com/H3j6hsKMe4
— The Trenches Show (@TrenchesShow) August 16, 2024
Harrison, who was the highest-ever wide receiver drafted out of Ohio State, has a laundry list of awards from his three years with the Buckeyes. These are all of the No. 4 overall pick‘s accomplishments, accolades, rankings, statistics and more listed on his Ohio State bio (even with only starting two full seasons):
- Marvin is the most decorated wide receiver in Ohio State history and one of the all-time best wide receivers in school history with an abundance of honors, awards, statistics, records and achievements
- He was named the Biletnikoff Award winner as the outstanding receiver in college football in 2023 as a junior, becoming the second Buckeye to win the honor (Terry Glenn, 1995)
- He is the only two-time All-American receiver in school history, earning unanimous All-America honors in both 2022 and 2023
- He is just the 11th player in Big Ten Conference history and the third wide receiver to be a two-time unanimous All-American, while also becoming only the second Big Ten player in 27 years to be so honored
- He was selected as a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2023 alongside three quarterbacks: Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix and Bo Nix
- He repeated as the Big Ten’s Richter-Howard Wide Receiver of the Year recipient in 2023 and he was named the Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year
- Also named the Chicago Tribune Silver Football Award winner in 2023 as the best player in the Big Ten
- Has career totals of 155 receptions (6th at Ohio State), 2,613 yards (6th) and 31 touchdowns (3rd)
- Tied Ohio State single season record with eight 100-yard receiving games in 2023 and set career record with 15 100-yard receiving games
- Caught 67 passes for 1,211 yards (18.1 avg.) with 14 touchdowns in 2023 after catching 77 passes for 1,263 yards (16.4 avg.) and 14 touchdowns in 2022
- Ranked 3rd nationally as a junior with 14 receiving touchdowns
- Also ranked 10th nationally in receiving yards and ninth in yards per game (100.9)
- He is the first in Ohio State history to have two 1,000-yard receiving seasons and there are only 10 1,000-yard seasons on record
- His single season totals of 1,263 and 1,211 yards in 2022 and 2023 rank fourth and fifth in school history, respectively
- His 14 touchdowns in both 2022 and 2023 are each tied for second with David Boston (1997) in a single season, trailing only Terry Glenn’s 17 in 1995
- Marvin was named Ohio State’s first unanimous All-American receiver in 2022
- Caught 67 passes for 1,211 yards (18.1 avg.) with 14 touchdowns in 2023 after catching 77 passes for 1,263 yards (16.4 avg.) and 14 touchdowns in 2022
- Ranked 3rd nationally as a junior with 14 receiving touchdowns
- Also ranked 10th in receiving yards and ninth in yards per game (100.9)
- He is the first in Ohio State history to have two 1,000-yard receiving seasons and there are only 10 1,000-yard seasons on record
- His single season totals of 1,263 and 1,211 yards in 2022 and 2023 rank fourth and fifth in school history, respectively
- His 14 touchdowns in both 2022 and 2023 are each tied for second with David Boston (1997), trailing only Terry Glenn’s 17 in 1995
- Marvin was named Ohio State’s first unanimous All-American receiver in 2022
- Also selected as the Big Ten Conference’s Richter-Howard Wide Receiver of the Year as a sophomore in 2022
- His 2022 reception and yardage totals are each fourth all-time at Ohio State for a single season
- 2022 honors also included first-team all-Big Ten honors and being named a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award
- Joined Joey Galloway as only Buckeye receivers to catch three TDs in a game twice (vs. Utah in the Rose Bowl and vs. Arkansas State in 2022), and then upped the standard to three times with a three-TD game later in 2022 vs. Michigan State
- Spectacular twice against Penn State with a career-high 11 catches for 162 yards and one touchdown in 2023 and with a then-career-high of 10 receptions for a career-best 185 receiving yards in 2022 with all 10 of his catches resulting in first downs in the 44-31 road win
- Accumulated 52 receptions for 850 yards and eight TDs in eight games vs. ranked opponents (vs. No. 11 Utah in the 2022 Rose Bowl, vs. No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 13 Penn State, No. 3 Michigan and No. 1 Georgia in 2022; and vs. No. 9 Notre Dame, No. 7 Penn State and No. 3 Michigan in 2023)
- Ranked second nationally in 2022 with 52 catches of 10-or-more yards and ranked sixth with six 40-or-more yard receptions
- Also ranked in the Top 10 of the national leaders in touchdown catches (4th), receiving yards (6th) and yards per game (8th at 97.2) in 2022
- Has caught a pass in 26 consecutive games … every one of his starts
- Lettered in 2021 as a true freshman after playing in all 13 games, including a start in the Rose Bowl vs. Utah
- Caught 11 passes as a true freshman for 139 yards and three touchdowns
- He was sensational in the Rose Bowl, catching six passes for 71 yards and a Rose Bowl-record tying three touchdowns
- His TDs were huge: a 25-yarder in the 2nd quarter to cut into a 14-0 Utah lead; an 8-yarder in the 3rd quarter to get Ohio State to within 35-28; and a game-tying, 5-yard scoring play in the 4th quarter to make it 38-all
- Marvin is a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and a two-time Academic all-Big Ten honoree who is majoring in sport industry
And a full list of his honors and awards:
- 2023: Biletnikoff Award winner, Heisman Trophy Finalist, Chicago Tribune Silver Football award winner, Big Ten Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year, Big Ten Richter-Howard Wide Receiver of the Year; unanimous first-team All-American; all-Big Ten Conference, Academic all-Big Ten
- 2022: Big Ten Richter-Howard Wide Receiver of the Year; unanimous first-team All-American; Biletnikoff Award finalist; all-Big Ten Conference. OSU Scholar-Athlete, Academic all-Big Ten
- 2021: OSU Scholar-Athlete; Rose Bowl record-tying three touchdown receptions
Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. will go down as one of the best college football wideouts ever. ???? Highlights from his CFB career: pic.twitter.com/s6lC1gtnl7
— College Football Alerts  (@CFBAlerts_) January 21, 2024
Harrison did clarify that he was strictly talking college career, as he hasn’t even played a down yet in the NFL, while past OSU receivers like Cris Carter, have made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Harrison has firsthand seen the talent of past Ohio State wide receivers, as he had to sit behind four other first-round picks his freshman season in Garrett Wilson (10th pick in 2022), Chris Olave (11th pick in 2022), Jameson Williams (later transferred to Alabama, 12th pick in 2022) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (20th pick in 2023).
Other great Buckeye wide receivers include Michael Thomas, Terry McLaurin, Michael Jenkins, Ted Ginn Jr., Santonio Holmes, David Boston, among several others. In total, 12 Ohio State receivers have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
These players and stats are why some refer to Ohio State as “wide receiver university.” LSU is the only school with more wide receivers selected in the NFL Draft since 2000 with 25 compared to Ohio State’s 24.
Is Harrison correct in calling himself the best receiver out of Ohio State all time?
Marvin Harrison Jr. stands out in Cardinals-Colts joint practices
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
