Throughout their history, the Ohio State Buckeyes have produced some of the best Wide receivers in both NFL and CFB history. Jeremiah Smith is set to go on and become an all-time CFB great with his current output.
The Buckeyes have also produced multiple current NFL talents who have lit the league on fire, including the likes of Terry McLaurin, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Chris Olave.
Top 8 All-Time Ohio State Receivers You Need To Know
No. 8 – Emeka Egbuka
After being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Egbuka joined an elite list of Buckeyes receivers that went in the first round, joining the likes of Jaxon Smith-Njiba and Marvin Harrison Jr.
During his time at Ohio State, Egbuka produced almost record-breaking numbers, finishing with the school’s highest reception count, 205, and second in the school’s history in receiving yards, 2,868.
This is only made more impressive when considering that the Tampa Bay Buccaneer was almost always the WR2 in the Buckeye’s depth chart, behind both Marvin Harrison Jr and Jeremiah Smith.
No. 7 – Terry Glenn
Despite his tragic passing, Terry Glenn is forever etched into the history books and culture at Ohio State. Glenn spent 12 years in the NFL and had one of the most explosive seasons in the history of Ohio State football, despite only recording 266 yards in his first two seasons.
Glenn turned his fortunes around in his third season, where he came out of nowhere to produce one of the greatest seasons in living memory, setting the touchdown record for Buckeyes receivers with 17 touchdowns, with 57 catches for 1,316 yards alongside Heisman winner Eddie George.
No. 6 – Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Part of one of the best receiving cores in recent memory of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Jaxon Smith-Njigba was part of an iconic trio of wide receivers alongside both Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, with all three currently applying their trade as NFL wide receivers.
It has been noted in the past that both Wilson and Olave have gone on record to suggest that Smith-Njigba was better than both of them during their time as Ohio State Buckeyes. The Seattle Seahawks receiver missed out on most of his College Football career after being injured in his junior year.
The NFL receiver only played one full season with the Buckeyes, with 95 receptions for 1,606 yards, breaking multiple single-season receiving records in the only full season he played.
No. 5 – Jeremiah Smith
While it may be too recent to put the future NFL-bound prospect any higher on this list, Jeremiah Smith’s freshman season is still enough to put him amongst the greatest receivers ever to don the Buckeyes shirt, Smith caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns as he played a pivotal role in taking his side to a National Championship win.
At the current rate he is going, Smith will almost certainly break multiple records for Ohio State, including the receiving record, which is currently held by Michael Jenkins, with 2,898 yards.
No. 4 – David Boston
Despite having a short NFL career, David Boston will forever be remembered for his iconic catch in the 1997 Rose Bowl, where he caught the game-winning touchdown with only 19 seconds left on the clock. Boston ranks among the best receivers in Buckeyes history, second in receiving touchdowns, and third in career receptions and receiving yards.
During his last two years at Ohio State, Boston had a consistent output, with 930 yards and 14 touchdowns, and 1330 yards and 13 touchdowns, meaning he had the longevity and reliability that receivers like Jaxon Smith-Njigba lacked.
No. 3 – Cris Carter
Despite a sense of what could have been, after the receiver was deemed ineligible for his senior season due to a sponsorship controversy, Cris Carter is still to this day one of the most dominant receivers Ohio State has ever seen.
He ranks fifth in career receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in an era where wide receiver outputs weren’t as crazy as they are now.
As a true freshman, Carter proved from the beginning that he had what it took, as he set a Rose Bowl record with nine receptions for 172 yards, and despite his college football career being cut short, he still had some incredibly dominant numbers with 1086 yards in his final season as a Buckeye.
No. 2 – Chris Olave
Despite lacking the flashy receiving yards numbers his teammate, Jaxon Smith-Njigba had in his only full season as an Ohio State player, Chris Olave was a beacon of reliability and consistency as a Buckeye, separating him from the other two NFL receivers who played for Ohio State in his class.
Despite never going for over 1,000 yards in his four years with the Buckeyes, the New Orleans Saints receiver was the ever-reliable target, receiving for 849, 729, and 936 yards in his final three seasons.
Where Olave also shone historically was with his touchdown numbers, scoring 12, seven, and 13 touchdowns across those 3 seasons, etching himself into the history of Ohio State with the record for the most receiving touchdowns in the history of the program.
No. 1 – Marvin Harrison Jr.
Jeremiah Smith may be the heir apparent to this Number One spot, however, Marvin Harrison Jr paved the way for Smith, being drafted fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Arizona Cardinal holds the highest ever draft position for an Ohio State receiver.
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In his short time with the Buckeyes, with two full seasons as a starter, Harrison sits third for the most receiving touchdowns in Ohio State History.
Being cited as “One of the most physically gifted receivers in Ohio State history” at the time, a claim that is now being challenged by Jeremiah Smith, Harrison Jr had two full seasons as a starter, going for over 1,000 yards on both occasions with 1,263 yards in 2022, and 1,211 yards in 2023.
The former Ohio State receiver may not have the same pedigree historically as some of the other players on this list due to only spending two seasons with OSU, but he will still be remembered as one of the most dominant players to ever play college football.
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