A wide receiver for Ohio State was lost in the 2024 class.
Jeremiah McClellan, a four-star wide receiver in 2024, switched to Oregon on Wednesday, abandoning his commitment to the Buckeyes.
McClellan made three official visits to Oregon in June before deciding to commit to the Buckeyes on August 13.
McClellan, a St. Louis native, is the 13th-ranked receiver in the nation and is rated by 247Sports as the No. 49 overall player in the 2024 class.
Along with Jeremiah Smith and Mylan Graham, McClellan was one of Ohio State’s three wide receiver commits in the 2024 recruiting class.
When Brian Hartline took over as Ohio State’s wide receivers coach in 2018, McClellan was among the first 17 of the top-20 receivers to enroll at the university.
In 2022, McClellan caught 41 passes for 989 yards and nine touchdowns, according to 247Sports. He was selected to the first team of the All-State team at the end of the season.
Two of the top seven wide receivers in the 2024 class already play for Ohio State.
Smith, the top recruit in the class, signed with Ohio State after supposedly having official visits with Florida State in the days preceding signing day. In Ohio State history, he is the wide receiver commit with the highest rating.
Ranking as the No. 23 player and No. 7 wide receiver in the nation, Graham is one of Ohio State’s class of five five-star pledges. On Wednesday morning, he became a member of the Buckeyes.
Ohio State may need to cover some receiver shortages come 2024. Julian Fleming, who entered the transfer portal, has one of the three starting slots that are up for grabs if the Buckeyes lose Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka to the NFL.
Players like Carnell Tate, Noah Rogers, and Brandon Inniss will probably get more playing time than Smith and Graham, but Smith and Graham will definitely get their fair number of chances.
As a 6-foot, 190-pound receiver who could play in the slot with Smith outside and Graham filling in as “Garrett Wilson” and lining up wherever needed, McClellan could have contributed.
Even if Ohio State possesses wide receiving potential to cover those gaps, McClellan will be a significant loss for the Buckeyes in 2024.
