Ohio State Dominates All Other Colleges at This Key Position in the NFL

There is a yearly debate about what school is Wide Receiver U, but Ohio State stands head and shoulders above the rest

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) celebrates after winning against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes’ wide receiver lineage is something to behold. 

Dating back to Chris Carter in the 80s, David Boston in the 90s, Michael Jenkins and Santonio Holmes in the 2000s, Michael Thomas and Chris Olave in the 2010s, or this current stretch of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka in the 2020s, Ohio State has had a historic wide receiver room.

What makes Buckeyes wide receivers so special is that they dominate at the college level and then they go onto the NFL and dominate the professional level too. 

The debate comes up every year about what school is Wide Receiver U and every year it settles on Ohio State. In the Super Bowl era since 1966, wide receivers from the Buckeyes have combined for 704 receiving touchdowns, nearly 130 more touchdowns than USC, which has the second most with 575 touchdowns.

NFL WR Receiving TDs by College pic.twitter.com/VdBFvkgqh4

— Deeg (@DeegSports) March 25, 2025

The Buckeyes in the pro's top-10 touchdown leaders are:

1. Chris Carter - 130

2. Paul Warfield - 85

3. Joey Galloway - 77

4. Terry Glenn - 44

5. Terry McLaurin - 38

6. Santonio Holmes - 36

7. Michael Thomas - 36

8. Ted Ginn Jr. - 33

9. Jeff Graham - 30

10. David Boston - 25

The list goes on and on. Some of the names who wore that Scarlet and Gray became household names on Sunday’s in the NFL and one of them even dons a gold jacket. They paved the way for future generations and the Buckeyes have kept their foot on the gas.

Since Brian Hartline joined the Ohio State coaching staff in 2017, the Buckeyes have continually pumped out the best talent at the wide receiver position. In 2024, they had three five-star recruits in their wide receiver room and their second-best player has a chance to be a Top-20 pick in this year’s NFL draft. 

Ohio State has held the crown of Wide Receiver U for the last 58 years and there are no signs of letting that go any time soon.