Emeka Egbuka embracing being leader of Buckeyes’ receiver room
Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka runs drills with teammates before game against Iowa Saturday October 22, 2022 at Ohio Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
INDIANAPOLIS — Ohio State’s veteran wideout put together a stellar campaign in 2022, in which he racked up 1,151 receiving yards, but watched his production slip significantly last season.
Emeka Egbuka basically took a backseat to the national spotlight, and watched Marvin Harrison Jr., become a Heisman finalist. After all, Egbuka only played in 10 games, caught 33 fewer passes and finished with 636 less receiving yards than the year prior.
Obviously there was a big difference in catching balls from C.J. Stroud than Kyle McCord, but Egbuka wanted to be more involved with the aerial attack. Which is why he made it a priority this offseason to be the Buckeyes’ go-to receiver, especially with Harrison and Julian Fleming no longer on the roster.
Now Egbuka is taking charge of the wide receiver room, and mentoring the younger pass catchers on how to be a contributor on the gridiron, which he enjoys.
“They’ve kind of allowed me to be a leader that they can listen to, along with my coaching and everything that I try to do and instilled it,” Egbuka said. “It gives me a lot of engagement to keep doing what I’m doing, and I’m just honored and blessed to be in this position to keep doing that.”
Egbuka will be catching passes from Will Howard this fall, who’s an All-Big 12 performer. Howard also led Kansas State to a Big 12 Title in 2022. Egbuka is building chemistry with Howard, and likes what he brings to the Buckeyes’ offense as a whole, with his experience and leadership. Most importantly, Egbuka believes the best is yet to come for the gunslinger.
“What I like about Will is that he’s a fifth-year vet guy, who has played a lot of football, and now he’s at Ohio State where he’s taking the coaching and running with it,” he said. “He has developed at a rapid rate, and we see him getting better and better each practice, which is really encouraging.”
The Buckeyes won’t have to rely too much on Howard’s arm, with two returning 1,000-yard rushers in the backfield in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. In Egbuka’s mind, they’re the best running back tandem in College Football. Not to mention the offensive line is talented and physical.
Egbuka feels this is the closest team he’s ever been part of. The players all golf together, and Egbuka knows he has the best swing of the bunch. The graduate student is also taking care of his body so he can stay healthy and get through the long season.
There’s a lot of hype surrounding the Buckeyes, and they’ll likely start out the season No. 1. Egbuka understands what comes with the territory of being the top dog, and expects the rest of the team to embrace being the hunted as usual.
“Ever year is a new year, so you gotta find your identity as a team, and that’s something we’re searching for, especially coming up in this fall camp,” the 21-year old said. “With such an explosive duo out of the backfield, it’s going to be hard to stop that, which opens things up for us on the outside.”
Former UCLA Coach Chip Kelly will be operating the offense this time around, and Egbuka is soaking up his playbook like a sponge. He’s confident Kelly will put him and the rest of the receivers in the right spots in order for them to be successful.
As for goals this fall, Egbuka wants to beat Michigan, win a Big Ten Title, go to the Playoffs and capture a National Championship. Anything less than that will be considered a bust in his eyes. Regardless of the matter, Egbuka plans on taking everything one game at a time.
“You got a lot of football to be played before November comes, before the 12-team Playoff comes, so the main thing is staying within your circle, staying within the guys in the building, not letting the outside make too much noise in your ear.”
