CONFIRMED DEAL: The top seasoned wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins has officially signed with the Ohio State Buckeyes football team, but…

Each wide receiver class under Brian Hartline seems to unlock a new level of talent.

Ohio State’s embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position has become cliché at this point. Whether an unheralded recruit like Chris Olave or a highly prized one like Carnell Tate, the Buckeyes always find talent at the position.

That has almost always been the case, but Brian Hartline has elevated Ohio State’s ability to attract top national wideouts to unprecedented heights. It’s gotten to the point where it’s more surprising when a top receiver doesn’t opt to attend Ohio State, but there are a few.

Whether they are unwilling to compete against the best of the best or simply secure better NIL deals elsewhere, there are some who take their talents to other schools. In that rare occurence, Hartline simply finds another gem to take that recruit’s place.

The old timers among us may have grown up watching the OG stud, Paul Warfield (on black-and-white televisions, no doubt), while those around my age grew up watching Doug Donley, Gary Williams, Mike Lanese, and Cris Carter. Others had the pleasure of discovering the Buckeyes while Joey Galloway or David Boston or Terry Glenn were torturing Big Ten defenses. A little later, it was Ted Ginn Jr., Santonio Holmes, and Michael Jenkins.

To summarize, Ohio State has had ridiculous wideouts for many years. Even some of the second receivers who didn’t excel at the NFL level were outstanding college players.

As good as the school’s wide receiver history has been, the recent times have seen a whole new level. It begs the question: How high is the ceiling at Ohio State?

Olave burst onto the scene late in his freshman season and went on to a stellar OSU career. This coincided on the timeline with Hartline becoming Ohio State’s wide receivers coach. While Olave may have had the talent all along, Hartline helped him develop into a first-round pick (No. 11 overall) in 2022.

Olave was joined at Ohio State by an even better teammate in Garrett Wilson. The two of them terrorized defensive coordinators on Ohio State’s schedule, and Wilson went to the New York Jets one pick higher than Olave went to the Saints in the 2022 NFL Draft, and edged out his college teammate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (Olave finished fourth, despite having similar numbers in two fewer games played).