Ohio State University graduate wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, 2, scores a run for a touchdown during a game against Marshall University on September 21st. Egbuka finished the game with 117 receiving yards and the Buckeyes won 49-14. Credit: Carly Damon |Assistant. photo editor
Disclaimer: The Lantern’s “Best of OSU” voting was conducted via social media and is not considered statistically representative of The Ohio State University’s broader student body.
Emeka Egbuka had to make a decision.
Many expected him to go to the NFL, be a top draft pick and become the next great Buckeye wide receiver to play at the professional level.
Or he could return to Ohio State and finish unfinished business.
He never beat Michigan.
He has never played in a Big Ten Championship.
He has never played in a national championship.
As the new year began, Buckeye players like Jack Sawyer began announcing that they would be returning for another season, and the more Egbuka considered his options, the more he realized he only had one.
he needed to get home.
Egbuka, who has decided to return to Ohio State for his senior season, was voted the “Best Football Player” by Lantern readers in this year’s “Best of OSU” poll. Since joining the Buckeyes’ program in 2021, Egbuka has led the way on and off the field, striving to leave the program better than he arrived as both a player and a person.
“He’s very level-headed, so I think just being a good person is enough.” [to] It’s more than just being a good athlete,” said Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork.
Egbuka, a five-star wide receiver recruit from Steilacoom High School in Dupont, Washington, officially committed to Ohio State University on December 11, 2020.
When Egbuka arrived in Columbus, he said it was difficult to establish himself as a team leader.
“When you come in as a freshman, you really don’t know what you don’t know,” Egbuka said. “You’ve never really experienced college ball, so you don’t know what it’s like.”
Egbuka said he was fortunate to have older teammates like Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Kamryn Babb to lead by example and guide him.
“Show me how things are done, how professionals handle their business,” Egbuka said.
During his freshman season in 2021, Egbuka appeared in 10 games and had nine receptions for 191 yards.
And in his sophomore preseason, it became clear that Egbuka was ready to take on a bigger role.
“The catches he made, and he was so smart,” Babb said. “He picked up the game very quickly and picked up the playbook very quickly. You can see some of the catches he made, it just came naturally to him. ”
And it showed on the field.
In Ohio State’s 2022 season opener against Notre Dame, Egbuka had a team-high nine catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. He gained at least 116 receiving yards in four of his next five games, finishing his sophomore season with 1,151 total yards and 10 touchdowns.
The coming out party was no surprise to Babu.
“We knew who was who [Egbuka] And we knew what his capabilities were,” Babb said.
However, the end of the 2022 season was filled with disappointment as the Buckeyes lost to Michigan, missed out on the Big Ten Championship, and lost to Georgia in the Peach Bowl.
And Egbuka’s 2023 season wasn’t much better either.
The wide receiver suffered an ankle sprain in the team’s 37-17 win against Maryland and missed three games. As a result, Egbuka only recorded 515 receiving yards and four touchdowns on the season.
The Buckeyes lost 30-24 to the University of Michigan, missing the Big Ten Championship game again.
After his junior year ended in an embarrassing 14-3 loss to Missouri State in the Cotton Bowl, the NFL beckoned, but Egbuka knew he had unfinished business.
Egbuka said in January that it was a 50-50 decision whether to stay in school or go to the NFL. The more I thought about my choices, the more I felt drawn to my final decision.
“I felt like the NFL was always going to be there,” Egbuka said. “But moments like this, playing on the field with your best friends in college, don’t come very often.”
Ohio State fans made it clear how grateful they were to have Egbuka back.
“Buckeye Nation has been so supportive throughout this situation and I love everyone there,” Egbuka said.
Egbuka reflected that love into the community on Aug. 25 when he and Babb, along with current teammates JT Tuimorow, Treveyon Henderson and Gee Scott, organized a Christian Fellowship event on North Campus.
The event drew an estimated 2,000 people to hear testimonies from the players and celebrate their faith through public baptisms.
Egbuka addressed the assembled crowd, recalling the time he attended a church service and was invited on stage by the pastor. He said this experience made him feel Jesus for the first time in his life.
“Sometimes that’s all you need,” Egbuka said. “Sometimes you have to be curious. Sometimes you have to walk away from your faith. The first one is always the hardest, but God has protected me ever since. I went on stage and received the Holy Spirit for the first time in my life.”
Egbuka said that in that moment, he faced the reality that soccer did not define him and started asking himself questions. “Is this what my life is all about?” Is it just soccer? ”
Egbuka knew that injury or missed opportunities could end his soccer career at any time, and that he was destined for greater things than wins and losses. His faith, not his sport, defined him.
“When I came to know Jesus, he showed me the heritage I have in the kingdom of God,” Egbuka told the crowd. “I’m like, ‘Wow.’ This is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. [known]. I would like to say that my value is not what I am good at. my values are [as] your child.
And he has continued to echo that sentiment ever since.
“He gave me new hope and a new sense of peace,” Egbuka said.
That peace is evident in Egbuka as he enters his final year at Ohio State.
Egbuka graduated with a degree in Marketing in December 2023, achieving his goal of a university diploma. Six games into his final college season, he is on track to become Ohio State’s leader in receptions and receiving yards. He is also 38 catches away from passing Michael Jenkins’ record and 516 receiving yards away from passing KJ Hill’s record.
Egbuka knows his time at Ohio State is coming to an end, and he looks to invest in the next generation just as his leaders have invested in him. Masu.
Among his proteges is freshman Jeremiah Smith, whose spectacular catches have already shown how he will continue the legacy of Ohio State’s great wide receivers.
For now, the future is familiar to Egbuka, with some important dates circled on his calendar.
Nov. 30 — Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium.
Dec. 17 — Big Ten Championship at Indianapolis.
Jan. 20 — National Championship Game in Atlanta.
He hopes each one leads to a win for the Buckeyes, but he also knows that no matter how this season ends, he gave everything he has to give to Ohio State and its fans. are.
“I can go out on Saturday and have confidence in myself and my abilities because I know my students have confidence in me,” Egbuka said.
