Ohio State's Chris Olave Looking Forward To Playing Oregon, His Childhood Dream School

The former three-star prospect did not receive an offer from the Ducks during the 2018 recruiting cycle.

Author:
Andrew Lind
Sep 7, 2021 7:19 PM EDT

When Ohio State last played Oregon in the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, senior wide receiver Chris Olave was intently watching from his home in San Ysidro, Calif., hoping his favorite team would bring home the title.

His night ended in disappointment, though, as the Buckeyes knocked off the Ducks, 42-20, to capture the eighth national title in school history.

“I was young,” Olave during his media availability on Tuesday afternoon. “I remember watching it at home with my family. I was definitely an Oregon fan. I remember they beat Florida State before that.

"Ohio State came in and kind of put the bang on them. They were hitting them hard and just kind of messed up Oregon’s game, so that’s what I remember about it. Ohio State came to play that game and had a really good team.”

Fast forward more than six and a half years, and there’s yet another meeting between the two programs with national title implications. Only this time, Olave will be suiting up for the Scarlet and Gray against his childhood favorite team.

“It’s a childhood dream to play in a game like this,” Olave said. “I grew up an Oregon fan and I always wanted to go to Oregon, but just to play against them, one of the best teams in the Pac-12, (it’s) exciting. I can’t wait to be able to play against them.”

It was somewhat of a surprise to hear that Olave – who was admittedly disappointed that last year’s game at Autzen Stadium was cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic – didn’t grow up rooting for the likes of UCLA or USC while living in Southern California. But, like so many others around the country, he was drawn to Oregon’s offensive style and its seemingly limitless uniform options.

“Oregon was really a powerhouse growing up with Chip Kelly,” Olave said. “I remember just watching Oregon growing up with my family. We were all Oregon fans, me and my brothers. All the different jerseys, they were top five in the country every year.

"Just to be able to play against them and have the opportunity to step on the field with them is going to be huge.”

All that said, Olave never actually had the opportunity to play for the Ducks.

A three-star prospect who didn’t burst onto the recruiting scene until Ohio State offered him a scholarship midway through his senior season, Olave was not a target of former Oregon head coach Willie Taggart.

By the time current head coach and then-offensive coordinator Mario Cristobal was promoted, it was too late for the Ducks to overcome the bond Olave had built with the Buckeyes, including head coach and then-offensive coordinator Ryan Day and former wide receivers coach Zach Smith.

“I wasn’t really a big-time recruit until Ohio State offered me,” Olave said. “That’s when everybody else started coming. We had some contact. They wanted me to visit late in January, but my mind was already set on Ohio State.

“It was my dream school, but we’ll never know. They never came (with an offer), so we’ll never know.”

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