By all accounts and measures, Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave has developed well beyond his recruiting accolades when he came out of high school. The coaches believed they got an underrated diamond in the rough at the time when he came out in 2018, and that’s proven to be the case.
Rated barely in the top 400 of recruits in the class as a three-star recruit, Olave splashed on the scene his freshman season against Michigan and never looked back. His sophomore season of 2019 was a breakout year, one in which he led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns as Justin Fields’ big-play threat down the field.
He has smooth running routes, elite speed, and great hands that he uses to separate and make explosive plays.
ESPN agrees. In a piece Anthony Treash published, he identified Olave as one of the ten best returning receivers in the country for 2020. And while he barely made the list at No. 10, it’s still a nod towards the 6-1, 185 pounder from San Marcos, California.
LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase and Alabama’s DeVonta Smith lead the group, with many others you can read about here (subscription required).
But back to Olave. Here’s what ESPN writes on the talented wide-out.
Sophomore receiver Olave had a breakout year in 2019, separating better than anyone with his speed and route running. Over 57% of his targets thrown 10-plus yards beyond the line of scrimmage had two or more steps of separation, which both led the country and was 23 percentage points above the average. He used his strength when going up against single coverage this past season, leading to one of the 10 highest grades on such plays. Moore might be the best wide receiver in the Big Ten, but Olave isn’t too far behind.
There’s a bevy of talented receivers headed to Columbus, and with Olave as option No. 1 on the outside, it should open things up for other talented pass-catchers in 2020.