It sure seems like it is a foregone conclusion, but based on comments made Thursday, maybe not. We all think it’s a pretty sure bet that Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is off to the NFL after this — his junior campaign — but based some time he spent in front of reporters Thursday, it’s clear that he’s still entertaining, if not wrestling, with the decision to come back to Ohio State.
Harrison is widely considered the best wide receiver in the draft, and perhaps a generational type talent you see only, well, every generation. He is projected to go somewhere in the top three to five players on almost every draft analysts’ big board out there. Some have him as the No. 1 pick overall.
Still, when asked about his future on Thursday ahead of all of the Heisman shenanigans, Harrison drew more than a few raised eyebrows from the Ohio State beat writers.
“Coming into this year, I wanted to beat the team up north (Michigan) and win a Big Ten championship — and obviously I did not do that this year. So I think there’s a great motive to come back if that’s what I decide to do,” Harrison told reporters. “That’s something I definitely want to do in my Ohio State career, and not having done that yet definitely opens the door for me to come back. But I’m undecided. Really just taking it day by day at this time.”
Also playing in Harrison’s mind appears to be an opportunity to play in Indianapolis for the Big Ten title. His dad, Harrison Sr., did his Hall of Fame athletic endeavors in that same building, and you have to feel like that would have been a surreal moment for Harrison Jr. to be on that field playing for a conference title.
“I think as a freshman, you come to the Big Ten — a school like Ohio State where the Big Ten championship is played — and you want to play in Indy so bad,” Harrison said. “And I will say, when I got here, it’s was like, it’s gonna be a foregone conclusion that we’re gonna play in Indy every year, and obviously that has yet to happen for me. It’s something that if I do decide to move on and not come back, I’m gonna have to live with. It would be very hard for me.”
That all sounds promising, but it could just be a star player working his way through the decision making process. C.J. Stroud went through some of the same emotions last season and ultimately chose to head on off to the NFL and is working to knit together one of the best rookie campaigns we’ve ever seen from a quarterback.
Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. said he’s undecided about his future.
“Coming into this year, I wanted to beat ‘The Team Up North’ & win a Big Ten Championship & obviously I did not do that this year. I think there's a great motive to come back if that's what I decide to do.“ pic.twitter.com/bnK2aNjnZj
— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) December 7, 2023
Still, that too was a tough one, and believe it or not, Stroud did almost make that decision to return to Columbus for one more season. Add in the ability to get some NIL money in today’s market, and we might see more and more players that have first round NFL money waiting for them, take one more year to enjoy the college experience.
At the end of the day, the risk of injury and the chance to secure life-changing money as a cream-of-the-crop NFL draft pick will still probably win out, but if not, nobody that is a fan of the colors scarlet and gray are going to complain. Especially whomever is going to be slinging the ball around in 2024 for Ohio State.
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