Marvin Harrison Jr. uncertain on Ohio State future, will attend Cotton Bowl regardless

Marvin Harrison Jr., one of the top players in college football and widely expected to be a top NFL draft pick when he declares, is apparently considering returning to Ohio State for a fourth year, according to Letterman Row’s Andy Backstrom. At this point, Harrison remains undecided.

Harrison’s motivation for returning to Ohio State would be simple: He hasn’t defeated Michigan or won a Big Ten title in three years with the Buckeyes. But Harrison is also projected to be not only the top wide receiver drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft, but a potential Top 5 pick.

“Coming into this year, I wanted to beat The Team Up North and win a Big Ten Championship and obviously I did not do that this year. I think there’s a great motive to come back if that’s what I decide to do. That’s something I definitely wanted to do in my Ohio State career, and not having done that yet definitely opens the door for me to come back. But undecided, really just taking it day by day at this time,” Harrison said.

He also has not made a decision about playing in the Cotton Bowl for the Buckeyes, but Harrison does plan to be with the team in Dallas for the game regardless.

Harrison has been a dominant presence the past two seasons at wide out. He’s got 144 catches for 2474 yards and 28 touchdowns in hist last 15 games, tantalizing NFL talent evaluators with his unparalleled combination of size, explosion and agility while being among the most polished players at his position.

Harrison currently has an On3 NIL valuation of $1.3 million, placing him No. 14 in the On3 NIL 100, and he could stand to make significant money via an NIL package. But it would still likely pale in comparison to the signing bonus and salary of whatever rookie deal he’d sign as an NFL player.

Having Harrison back could help Ohio State end a losing skid in The Game

No matter what, Ryan Day and Ohio State want to beat Michigan moving forward. The Game was owned by the Wolverines over the last three meetings and Day’s last win as a coach was in 2019.

To wrap up the regular season and look ahead to the bowl game, Day was asked about the 12-team playoff for next year. In this year’s case, Ohio State would make it into the field.

But regardless of that result, the program prides itself on The Game and beating Michigan.

“Yeah, that’s it,” Day said. “I just believe in that. And then, you know, we haven’t got it done in the last few years. So it hurts, but ultimately, that’s like. When you get up in the morning, if you’re not thinking about winning that game, then you probably don’t deserve to be in the program. And so we have to continue to work on that and get it done. And then, you know, once we accomplish that, and then we’ll go on from there.”