Chris Olave came to the state of Ohio as a sub-recruited candidate from San Marcos, California. He became a Buckeye star with a bright future. And that star will only get brighter in 2021
Olave announced on Monday night that he will return to Ohio for the last year. He made the announcement on social media.
Ranked as the 68th best recipient and only among the 400 best candidates in the 2018 recruiting class, Olave was a kind of rough diamond for the state of Ohio. After transferring to Mission Hills High School after his sophomore year, Olave had to stay out of his first season and missed a lot of the movie that wins recruit offers. The then offensive coordinator of Buckeye and coach of defenders Ryan Day saw Olave for the first time during a recruiting visit to see the four-star quarterback prospect Jack Tuttle. Olave was called to be the receiver when Tuttle played for Buckeye’s coach.
Day liked what he saw of Olave and offered the receiver in October 2017. Other important offers soon followed, but Olave chose Scarlet and Gray. And Ohio fans are happy that he did that.
Despite a wide receiver room that already had names like Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin, Johnnie Dixon, Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor, Olave was able to make an impact like a freshman. After obtaining two total passes in blowout victories earlier this year, Olave intervened when Mack was injured and ended the season with 12 receptions for 197 yards and three touchdowns, including two receptions for two touchdowns against rivals Michigan and a reception of five , 79 yard, performance of a score in the Big Ten Championship Game.
The end of his first year left Olave for a successful season in his second year. Presented more regularly in the Buckeye attack as a starter, Olave quickly developed chemistry with the quarterback Justin Fields. The receiver managed at least two receptions in each game, ending the year with 49 receptions for a best team of 849 yards and 12 touchdowns. After the season, Olave was named the third All-Big Ten by coaches and the media.
Towards 2020, Olave was on the pre-season watch list for the Biletnikoff Award. But, like many players in the Ohio State squad, the receiver was impacted by the shortened Big Ten season and the Buckeyes only playing five games in the regular season. Olave also showed impressive numbers, registering 50 catches for 729 cards and nine touchdowns in just seven games, while Scarlet and Gray won the fourth consecutive Big Ten championship and played in the 2021 College Football Playoff.
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Olave’s return will give the State of Ohio a full receiving space for any defender named the incumbent after Justin Fields announced that he is going into the NFL Draft earlier on Monday.