Emeka Egbuka did not travel with Ohio State to Purdue, will sit out Week 7 matchup
Ohio State will be without wide receiver Emeka Egbuka this week against Purdue, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day told reporters Friday night. He didn’t make the trip to West Lafayette with the Buckeyes and, as a result, has been ruled out.
“Emeka won’t be able to make it tomorrow,” Day said. “We’ll put the injury report out, but he didn’t make the trip.”
As for who could step up in Egbuka’s place, Day said Ohio State has enough depth at wide receiver to fill his shoes as the receiver opposite Marvin Harrison Jr.
“We’ve got plenty of guys in there that’ll do a great job,” Day said. “We’ve been practicing that ways this week. So we’ve got some really good guys to step in for him.”
Egbuka went down with an injury in last week’s game against Maryland and didn’t return. Afterward, Day didn’t sound too concerned about his status going forward, but he’ll now sit out the Week 7 matchup against Purdue.
Egbuka is one half of Ohio State’s two-headed monster at wide receiver alongside Harrison This year, he sits third on the roster with 303 receiving yards and three touchdowns to help Ohio State get off to a perfect 5-0 start to the season.
Egbuka’s absence could be an opportunity for other younger receivers to step up. Julian Fleming ranks behind him with 15 catches for 153 receiving yards, and freshman standout Carnell Tate has added 83 yards and a touchdown on five receptions so far this season. The Buckeyes also have a talented pass-catcher at tight end in Cade Stover, who’s second on the roster with 306 yards and a touchdown this season.
Emeka Egbuka is seen as a top player on NFL Draft boards
Harrison is getting plenty of attention in NFL Draft circles, and understandably so. But Egbuka has also seen his stock rise as he came in as the No. 13 overall pick in CBS Sports’ latest mock draft earlier this week. He and Harrison provide quite the one-two punch for the Buckeyes, who entered Saturday’s game leading the Big Ten in passing offense.
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. also gave Egbuka a first-round grade, and explained why during last week’s edition of Monday Blitz on ESPN.
“Emeka Egbuka, what a player he is,” Kiper said. “And if you go back to last season, in 15 of the last 17 games, he’s had a catch of over 20 yards. He’s Mr. Consistency. He’s so reliable, so smooth. He’s in the slot most of the time making clutch, third-down catches.”