Could superstar wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. return to Ohio State in 2024?
The 2023 Heisman Trophy finalist hinted as much when speaking to local media Thursday, saying he has not yet made up his mind about entering the 2024 NFL Draft. He cited failing to beat Michigan and win a Big Ten title as motivation for him to return.
Ohio State has lost The Game and thus failed to appear in the Big Ten Championship Game in all three years of Harrison’s Buckeyes career, though the fault for that hardly lies with him. Harrison, the son of Indianapolis Colts legend Marvin Harrison Sr., is considered a generational talent at wide receiver and widely projected to go within the top-five picks of the 2024 NFL Draft should he enter.
“Coming into this year, I wanted to beat The Team Up North and win a Big Ten Championship, and obviously I did not do that this year,” Harrison said. “I think it’s a great motive to come back if that’s what I decide to do. 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. … Really just taking it day-by-day at this time.”
Harrison also referred to his Ohio State career as “incomplete” and said he had no timetable for his decision on whether to remain in Columbus.
According to On3.com, Harrison has a current NIL valuation of $1.3M, which ranks ninth among current college football players. However, Harrison told reporters that money will not be a factor in his decision.
Ohio State will play in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri on Dec. 29. Harrison said he has an incentive to play in that game so he could “go out with a win” if he did enter the draft, instead of his last game at Ohio State potentially being the 30-24 loss at Michigan on Nov. 25. He said he would be at the game to support his teammates regardless of whether he plays in it.
Harrison has lived up to lofty preseason expectations after a breakout 2022 campaign, finishing within the FBS top 10 in receiving yards with 1,211 and tied for second among all FBS players in touchdown catches with 14. He is the one non-quarterback finalist for the Heisman Trophy this year.
