Chris Olave Looms as Ohio State's Top Threat in 2020

On the three-week anniversary of Ohio State's loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl approaches, Chris Olave is probably still wondering what happened to his impeccable sense of timing.

After all, if you're a wide receiver bent on coming from California to play at Ohio State, there's no better time to have done it than when Olave chose the Buckeyes.

His freshman year synched up with Dwayane Haskins' only season as OSU's starting quarterback, which resulted in a school-record 50 touchdown passes, and Olave will get to play with quarterback Justin Fields again next season because both are sophomore and can't yet leave for the NFL.

That's great timing...the kind Olave and Fields exhibited spending all season on the same wavelength until their one fateful miscommunication on Ohio State's final offensive play in the College Football Playoff.

Olave went left, Fields threw right...one zigged, the other zagged, an interception resulted and the Buckeyes' national championship dream died.

“I’m not sure he ate solid food for three or four days," OSU coach Ryan Day said, such was Olave's disappointment. "He was crushed. … But that’s not why we lost that game.”

No, it wasn't -- three field goals instead of even a single touchdown on a trio of Red Zone trips, a four-play, 94-yard Clemson TD drive allowed in the waning minutes, a silly blocked punt attempt resulting in a drive-sustaining personal foul ...all loomed as large or larger -- but Olave's blip was ill-timed.

Or, was it?

Imagine if he had to sit down now and struggle with whether to leave OSU on that note to enter the NFL Draft? His head might say one thing; his heart, another.

As things are, Olave will return next season and he sounds as if he can't wait.

His recent Tweet in response to a post on the same platform from Pro Football Focus, ranking Olave No. 10 on the list of best receivers returning to play college football in 2020, hints at Olave's motivation.

Not good enough. Back to work. https://t.co/8lKhC0oS0M
— Chris Olave (@chrisolave_) January 15, 2020

“Not good enough,” Olave wrote. “Back to work.”

His 12 touchdown catches this past season rank third in single-season history at OSU, but it will take more than that to get the school's career record in that category.

Olave has 17 in two seasons, even though he really didn't get much playing time until the final regular season game of 2019, and would need to match that next season to tie David Boston's career mark of 34.

That presumes Olave will head to the NFL after his junior season.

If not, he'll likely show up high on all of OSU's career receiving lists, even though the Buckeyes appear deep at receiver with Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams and a host of talented freshmen already on campus after signing with Ohio State in December.

Olave is the Buckeyes' most-proven commodity, however, and he's shown up biggest in their biggest games, including:

Two 24-yard TD catches against Michigan in 2018, plus a punt block for another score,

Five catches for 79 yards and a TD vs. Northwestern in the 2018 Big Ten Championship game,

Seven catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns against Wisconsin in the 2019 regular season,

Game-clinching touchdown catch against Penn State in 28-17 victory,

One TD catch in season finale at Michigan,

Five catches for 94 yards in the Big Ten title game against Wisconsin, and

Go-ahead, 24-yard TD in the fourth quarter of the Fiesta Bowl against Clemson.

Those memories should soothe some of Olave's "terrible" disappointment over the "worst feeling in the world," as he pronounced his attempt to get open for what he thought was a scrambling Fields late in the loss to Clemson.

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