40 best Ohio State football players this century, ranked

Best Ohio State football players this century 25. Chris Olave – Wide Receiver 2018-21

Another wide receiver from this most recent Ohio State team, Chris Olave is one of the rare wide receivers that actually contributed in all four years that he was in college. He didn’t do a ton in his freshman season, but Olave still made a few contributions. His biggest contribution was in the Big Ten Championship Game against Northwestern, where he had five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. He also had two touchdowns in the Buckeyes game against Michigan. His biggest games came in the two biggest games of the Ohio State season.

In his second season, Olave got a knack for the end zone. He scored 12 touchdowns, including multiple touchdowns in three games. He probably has even better stats his sophomore year if Ohio State didn’t blow everyone out in the regular season. It probably would have also helped them when things got tight in the College Football Playoff, but that’s another story.

Olave was ready to break out in 2020, but of course, COVID-19 made the season incredibly complicated. A major push by Ohio State players allowed the Big Ten to have a season in general. He averaged over 100 yards per game, and he even scored two touchdowns against Clemson in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Ohio State made it all the way to the title game, where they lost to Alabama. Olave still had eight catches for 69 yards in the loss.

In his senior season, Olave had a lot of catches to share with a freshman quarterback. His speed has always been a weapon, and Ohio State used it to make Olave their big-play maker this past season. Every time the Buckeyes needed to make a big play, they looked Olave’s way. Every game that Olave had a touchdown this past season, Ohio State won. They lost the two games he failed to score. His smarts helped him on the field, and he allowed the rest of the receiver room to excel around him. Olave will have a great career in the NFL.