Ohio State football’s most unheralded star for 2020 identified by ESPN

ESPN published a piece in an attempt to identify each of its top 25 college football team’s most unheralded star. Who was it for Ohio State?

Chris Olave, ESPN’s unheralded star for Ohio State

Ohio State's Chris Olave tabbed as a top five WR by FOX panelists
Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

What VanHaaren says about Olave

“Ohio State fans don’t undervalue wide receiver Olave, but it seems he doesn’t get the national recognition he should. He was overshadowed last season by Justin Fields and running back J.K. Dobbins on offense as well as what Chase Young was doing on defense. But all Olave did was lead one of the best offenses in receiving yards and touchdowns. Despite his stats, people are still talking about what sophomore receiver Garrett Wilson can do in his second season and how much of an impact Fields will have in his second go-round. Olave’s production compared to the national talk and attention he gets is lopsided, and if he continues the rise he sees each season, he should start to garner more attention.”

Remember, Olave was a bit of an afterthought when he was signed as a part of the 2017 recruiting class as a 3-star prospect. Ohio State only discovered him while attending games in the San Diego area while recruiting other prospects. He stood out, and the Buckeye staff knew felt good about finding a diamond in the rough. That was clearly the case.

Now, we’ll see if Olave can break the 1,000-yard receiving barrier and become even more a part of the game plan this fall, and perhaps a high NFL draft pick.