The 2024 NCAA Football season will be Emeka Egbuka‘s last year in Ohio State Buckeyes and the star wide receiver is set on making the most of it. After a disappointing 2023 season in which Egbuka could not surpass his 2022 production, the wideout is now established as the team’s number one receiver and has taken on a leadership role.
Ohio State has grown a reputation as a top WR program in college football. And the Buckeyes have a really good claim to be considered “Wide Receiver University” as in recent years they have produced NFL talents such as Terry, McLaurin, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Parris Campbell, and Marvin Harrison Jr. Emeka Egbuka is set to be Ohio State’s next great prospect and will declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Buckeyes’ young kingpin has sent a strong warning to the Big Ten conference and rest of the college football scenery ahead of the 2024 season. His message has fans excited and hopeful that the team can keep on Emeka’s promise.
“We’re just gonna rally under [head coach Ryan Day’s] flag, and we’re gonna get this done,” Egbuka told Fox News Digital. “We have a very veteran team. So, you have all the intangibles you would want stacking up for a good season. We just gotta put it all on the field now. We’re getting close to game one, so we’re excited to show the world what we’ve been practicing.“
Emeka Egbuka #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes poses after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter of a game against the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium on November 26, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio.
Egbuka has to bounce back after 2023 season
After a breakout sophomore season in 2022, Egbuka was primed for a stellar campaign but that was not the case for the wideout’s junior year in college. Although Emeka missed three games due to injury, his stats were short of what was expected from him. Egbuka totalled 515 receiving yards in 2023 after surpassing the thousand yard mark the previous year. His TD production fell from 10 to 4 in an year span.
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The receiver was not the only cause of dismay for fans. Ohio State’s 11-0 undefeated run came to an end against no other opponent than Michigan University. The Buckeyes fell to the Wolverines for the third consecutive year. Adding insult to injury, Ohio State fell to Missouri on the “Cotton Bowl”.
Heading into the 2024 NCAA Football season Egbuka has yet to come out victorious in “The Game”. And he is now the team’s offense cornerstone, so the stakes are sky-high for the player born in Washington.
After Smith-Njigba and Harrison Jr’s departures for the NFL in 2023, and 2024, respectively, Egbuka is now the team’s clear number one receiver and is expected to ball out and perform similarly, if not better, than during his sophomore year.
Ohio State Buckeyes debut in 2024 CFB season
Will Howard is going to be at the helm of Chip Kelly’s offense when the Buckeyes take on Akron on Saturday August 31st. The Kansas State transfer has won the starting battle over Devin Brown, and will take the reins left behind by Kyle McCord who transferred to Syracuse.
The Buckeyes are in for a crucial season. It is about time for the team to get over the hump and, as importantly, finally get back in the win column when facing their archnemesis, Michigan Wolverines. When Ohio State hosts Michigan on November 30th, fans will be eager to be on the winning side of “The Game”. Such feat has not occured since 2019.
