Under Wide Receiver coach Brian Hartline, Ohio State has become the WRU in College Football. His ability to recruit top-flight wide receivers, then develop them into great players is impressive. The talent also seems to never fall off from year to year, because he keeps stacking wide receiver talent in every recruiting class. The Ohio State, wide receivers just continue to dominate the sport of College Football year in and year out.
The most recent example of this success was the recruitment of the former 5-Star Wide Receiver and number 1 player in the 2024 class, Jeremiah Smith. Hartline won a recruiting battle to keep him from Miami, and ultimately, Smith signed with Ohio State and quickly turned into the best wide receiver in College Football.
Getting a player like Smith is important, but it is also the development of wide receivers that sets Hartline apart from other great recruiters. He is constantly pushing the group to get better, and they always seem to play well as a total unit. An example of this is the selflessness of them to block for each other and their teammates. This continues to show why Ohio State is WRU.
The other big factor is how much Hartline has developed wide receivers into pros. He coached the following 1st round pick wide receivers from Ohio State: Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and most recently Emeka Egbuka in this year's draft. Take the case of Wilson, he was drafted by the New York Jets, and even though they have struggled to have consistent quarterback play, Wilson has continued to excel. It is the ability of Ohio State's wide receiver to transition from college to the pros at a high level that shows the consistency of Ohio State's wide receivers.
The last reason Ohio State is WRU is the amount of depth they seem to always have at the wide receiver position. It is not just one guy, but multiple players. Even last year, after Jeremiah Smith shined, Emega Egbuka had a great year and eventually was a 1st round pick in the NFL Draft. Carnell Tate is another example of a highly rated player who had a solid year last year for the Buckeyes. Even the backups make plays, as Brandon Innis caught a key touchdown reception for Ohio State during the Penn State game. Ohio State continues to show the nation that they are WRU.