The Buckeyes will once again be deep at wide receiver this season.
Ohio State has a long history of developing great wide receiver talent. Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is one of those receivers.
In recent years, the Buckeyes have recruited and developed receivers that include Curtis Samuel, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, among others.
Heading into the 2025 campaign, Jeremiah Smith is the Buckeyes’ headliner at wide receiver. All of the attention from opposing cornerbacks will be focused on him, and that will open the door for Carnell Tate to take another huge leap this season.
Tate is an easy player to root for. He’s got a good head on his shoulders and works hard at his craft. After catching just 18 passes in his first season with the Buckeyes in 2023, Tate nearly tripled that number in 2024 with 52 receptions for 733 yards and four touchdowns.
With Egbuka now in the NFL, drafted 19th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tate is poised to have a larger role in the Buckeyes’ receiver room and passing game.
A former four-star prospect from Chicago, Tate was Ohio State’s leading receiver in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic with eight receptions for 87 yards. He added two catches for 35 yards against Notre Dame in the CFP National Championship. Not to mention, Tate had his first multi-touchdown game against Northwestern at Wrigley Field last season, a homecoming game for the two-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete.
Tate has shown he’s not afraid of the moment in big games. That will help Julian Sayin develop into the Buckeyes offense the same way that Will Howard and Kyle McCord did in each of the last two seasons.
Even though the 2026 NFL Draft is still nearly 11 months away, it’s worth mentioning that Pro Football Focus has Tate at No. 41 on their 2026 Big Board. Tate is the No. 6 receiver on the board according to PFF for next year’s draft.
Tate is going to be Ohio State’s WR2 this season, and the Buckeyes should once again be a prolific passing offense in 2025. His numbers could take a huge uptick again this season, which could shoot his draft stock way up and put Tate potentially in the conversation for some yearly awards nationally.
This is an emerging star at wide receiver for the Buckeyes. Tate is well positioned to take another step, another leap this season. Smith will garner most of the attention, but that will give Tate plenty of opportunities to make plays. A 1,000-yard season is not out of the question, and his stats beyond that could stack up among the best in the country.
Tate will be a really fun player to watch on the Buckeyes in 2025.