Marvin Harrison, Jr. Wants Bigger Plays In 2023

Last year, Marvin Harrison, Jr. became the first Unanimous All-American wide receiver in Ohio State history. In doing so, he became just the 10th Buckeye offensive skill player to earn that accomplishment. The other nine players have a combined seven Heisman Trophies, two runner-up finishes, and a third-place finish.

Harrison was the first Buckeye offensive skill player to be named Unanimous All-American since quarterback Troy Smith in 2006. Smith, as you may recall, won the Heisman that year.

The only hardware Harrison took home last year, however, was a box of All-American accolades. He (presumably) finished second in the Biletnikoff Trophy voting as the nation’s best wide receiver to Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt, which he is not alone in disagreeing with.

“Yeah, that definitely does bother me because I think that’s one of the things, as you look back on your college career, you can point to that, ‘I won the best receiver in country award for that year.’ I think I definitely deserved it,” Harrison said this spring. “Jalin had a great year as well at Tennessee, but I think I deserved it.”

Despite a season last year where Harrison posted 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns, there is no satisfaction to be found.

Only fuel.

“I know there’s a lot more work to be done,” he said. “We didn’t accomplish any goals we had as a team last year, so obviously, whatever I did last year wasn’t enough.”

One area of focus in the offseason, in the spring, and now into the summer is turning small plays into big plays, and big plays into bigger plays.

Despite leading the Big Ten in catches of 10+ (52), 20+ (20), 30+ (10), and 40+ (6) yards last year, Harrison only had one catch of at least 50 yards, and none that reached 60 yards.

That’s not sitting well with him either.

“There’s always room to get better everywhere, whether that’s getting in and out of your breaks faster, ball skills. But I think one thing in particular that I’m kind of focused on was just making plays after the catch,” he said. “Trying to turn five-yard catches into 20, or 20-yard catches into 60, things like that. So I think it’s one thing I’m conscious about just going into next year and practicing for that.”

Harrison doesn’t necessarily need OSU receivers coach Brian Hartline to remind him of how much better he can still get, but the encouragement is always there.

Harrison has a Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver as a father, so he’s seen the requirements his whole life. No matter how advanced he is for a college junior, both he and his position coach know that he can still get better.

“Oh, my gosh, so much better,” Hartline said. “I mean, does he want to be an old head, or an old veteran compared to who? Like, the 18-year-old? Or is he comparing himself to Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams? I don’t even know how you would think anything otherwise. The things he’s trying to chase are not amateur and on a smaller level college football.

“I think his goals, like a lot of our guys — not just him — it’s not sheltered at college football. I think he has perspective and wants to chase his dad. The small mindedness, I don’t think really Marvin has ever possessed that. He’s always been pushed to think big, and I think he’s probably doing that.”

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