Marvin Harrison Jr. voted Biletnikoff Award finalist for second year in a row
COLUMBUS — Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is once again a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the best receiver in college football.
The other two finalists are Malik Nabers from LSU and Rome Odunze from Washington.
Harrison is coming off his eighth 100-yard receiving game of the season. He now has 15 100-yard receiving games in his Buckeyes career, the most in program history.
The superstar wideout reeled in five passes for 118 yards and a touchdown in the 30-24 loss at Michigan this past weekend. All five of those catches resulted in first downs, and three were contested grabs, according to Pro Football Focus.
Harrison was asked postgame what’s next for his future. He said he doesn’t have an answer yet.
“I mean it’s been an incredible run, obviously,” said Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord, who also starred with Harrison at St. Joe’s Prep in Philadelphia. “I’d love to get another chance to play with him here. I hope this isn’t the end of it.
“But if it is, I think he cemented himself as one of the best players to ever come through this program. He’s a special dude, and I love that guy.”
This year, Harrison became the first-ever Buckeyes receiver to log a pair of 1,000-yard receiving seasons. He’s brought in 67 passes for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns, not to mention his first career rushing touchdown against Michigan State in Week 11.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound junior is widely projected as the highest-drafted wideout since Calvin Johnson Jr. went No. 2 overall in 2007. Harrison revealed this fall that he played last year with a bum ankle. It’s easy to forget, but he suffered an ankle injury this season as well, Week 4 at Notre Dame.
Harrison is known for his unbelievable catch radius, hence his 13 contested catches in 2023, and he routinely impresses with his high-level speed, like early this season when he notched two receiving touchdowns of 70-plus yards.
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Harrison found the end zone in all but two games this year. He finished the regular season by scoring touchdowns in eight straight games. That stretch featured three consecutive multi-score performances (Week 9 at Wisconsin, Week 10 at Rutgers and Week 11 versus Michigan State). That’s when Ohio State’s Heisman Trophy campaign for Harrison began.
He still could wind up as a Heisman finalist but losing to Michigan, and not getting to play in the Big Ten title game, certainly hurt his chances of becoming just the fifth wide receiver to ever win the award.
Harrison, however, does have a great shot at the Biletnikoff. He was a finalist for the award last season, but Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt — eventually a third-round NFL Draft pick of the New York Giants — came out on top.
Harrison has made an even greater impact on the Buckeyes in 2023 than he did in 2022, despite being double teamed or bracketed most of the year.
That’s why he’s regarded by many as the best wideout in college football. Time will tell if the Biletnikoff voters agree. The winner will be announced on Dec. 8.
