Ohio State Buckeyes Star Marvin Harrison Jr. Chasing 'Perfection'

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is chasing the unattainable

Growing up the son of an NFL Hall of Famer can’t be easy.

Though he is a consensus top-five projected pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is holding himself to much higher standards than what anyone else says.

After he had three dropped passes at Purdue Saturday, and it started pouring rain in the second half, Harrison was not happy with his performance.

“I feel like I’ve never played up to my standard, if anything,” Harrison said. “The standard is perfection but you can never be perfect.”

The Buckeyes went on to beat the Boilermakers 41-7 in West Lafayette. 

But Harrison said if this was a closer game, those drops could have made or broken the game.

“I think I’m the hardest-working player in the country as well,” Harrison said. “So, for me to go out there on Saturdays and not get the results that you want, it definitely hurts the heart a little bit.

“What hurts the most is knowing that you prepared for it.”

Harrison ranks in the top 25 in receiving yards and yards per reception in the country and is No. 10 in receiving yards per game. The wideout was named to the Associated Press Midseason All-America Second Team Wednesday.

He went on to praise his dad, Marvin Harrison Sr., for the goals he accomplished, stating that he wants to follow a similar path to the league.

“The goals he’s reached are the goals I’m trying to accomplish,” Marvin Harrison Jr. said. “Why not follow the same footsteps as he did? Why not try to put more work in than he did knowing that it got him to where he was at? Why try to take a different path?”

Harrison will have a tough task against Penn State this weekend, where he will be matched up against Penn State's elite pass defense, which ranks No. 1 in the country in yards allowed.

The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions kick off Saturday at noon.