BOOM! Emeka Egbuka is a Buckeye!

Ohio State's Class of 2021 gets even stronger by landing a commitment from the top wide receiver in the country.
BOOM! Emeka Egbuka is a Buckeye!
BOOM! Emeka Egbuka is a Buckeye!

Ohio State's Class of 2021 and Class of 2022 have included some of the absolute best high school talent in America. The Class of 2021 is very arguably the best class in the country, while the Class of 2022 is running circles around everyone else right now.

National signing day doesn't happen until next Wednesday, but the Buckeyes added another huge piece to Brian Hartline's already loaded wide receiver room on Friday evening. SI All-American candidate Emeka Egbuka, the top wide receiver in the country, is coming to Columbus.

Here's our evaluation of Egbuka and why he's such a prized prospect.

Egbuka is a native of Steilacoom, Washington where he plays for Steilacoom High School. Egbuka's extensive relationship with Brian Hartline played a critical role in the decision to come to Columbus. The coronavirus pandemic has made official visits nearly impossible the last nine months, so there's been more speculation this year than in year's past. But our team at SI All-American has said for months his decision would very likely come down to either Ohio State or Oklahoma. Some expected that Egbuka may choose to be a Sooner considering the timing of his visit to Norman last weekend. That was reportedly his only trip to visit OU.

Egbuka received offers from nearly every relevant major program in America, but his other self-proclaimed top choices were Clemson and Washington.

Egbuka didn't have a senior season because of CoVID-19 altering the timetable for play in Washington, but his career stats are ridiculous. He's accumulated more than 3,700 yards and scored 58 touchdowns in three seasons. He also played defensive back in high school.

"I think it’s the best place for me," Egbuka told 247Sports. "There is nothing to knock about the school. They pump out NFL receivers regularly, coach (Brian) Hartline develops his guys really well and they’re always competing for national championships."

"Ultimately I could see myself living there," said Egbuka. "My mom loved it and I knew I loved it from the first time I was there."

Considering Hartline's courting of current freshman Julian Fleming, Egbuka and 2022 commit Caleb Burton, the Buckeyes have now brought it the top receiving recruit in the country for three straight years. The new commit gave a ton of credit to Hartline and Day in getting him to this point.

"With coach Hartline, it was a big role he played with me," said Egbuka. "He’s been a good mentor, he’s helped me with a lot of receiver play but also a lot of life stuff. I really appreciate coach (Brian) Hartline."

"Coach Day, he’s done so much for the program," said Egbuka. "I believe he’s the mastermind behind them putting up 50 points a week and I cant wait to see how he’s wanting to use me."

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Brendan Gulick
BRENDAN GULICK

Brendan Gulick is the publisher for BuckeyesNow, Cleveland Baseball Insider and Cavs Insider on the FanNation Network. He is also an accomplished host and play-by-play voice on TV and radio, including on Big Ten Network and NCAA.com where he's called 45 NCAA national championships. Gulick is an update anchor and fill-in host at 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, Ohio.

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