Emeka Egbuka Commits to Ohio State

No. 1 WR and No. 10 overall prospect in the SI99 announces he will be a Buckeye

The recruitment of the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver prospect came to an end Friday, with Emeka Egbuka announcing his commitment to Ohio State. 

The Buckeyes were in the race for the Steilacoom (Wash.) pass-catcher from the start, and crossed the finish line with his pledge just five days before the Early Signing Period. Egbuka also had in-state Washington desperately after him, as well as Clemson. Yet, he’s headed to Columbus and is a huge get for head coach Ryan Day.

Upon the factors of his commitment, the relationship with Buckeyes WR coach Brian Hartline was critical.

SI All-American has had Egbuka on its radar since his freshman season in high school, when he was invited to the FBU Freshman All-American Bowl in Naples, Florida. Egbuka made the long trip from the Apple State to Southwest Florida, and spent the week impressing coaches and observers. 

While he’s yet to have a shot at a record-setting senior high school season, Egbuka has already caught 181 passes for 3,727 yards and 58 touchdowns in his prep career. He’s also been a key defensive player for Steilacoom, netting 17 career interceptions as a defensive back.

Egbuka, the No. 10 overall prospect in the 2021 SI99, has also earned All-American honors from the All-American Bowl and Polynesian Bowl.

Egbuka by the Numbers:

• 6-foot-1
• 190 pounds
• 181 receptions in high school (to date)
• 38 games
• 3,727 yards
• 58 receiving TDs
• 20.6 yards-per-catch
• 98.1 yards-receiving-per-game
• 70 total TDs
• 17 INTs on defense
• 40 tackles
• 3 INTs returned for TDs
• 4 Kick-Off Returns
• 174 Kick-Off Return yards
• 1 Kick-Off Return TD
• 23 Punt-Returns
• 540 Punt-Return yards
• 5 Punt-Return TDs
• 35 scholarship offers
• No. 1 WR in SI All-American position rankings
• No. 10 overall in SI99

Egbuka’s Schematic Fit in Columbus

Ohio State’s offense, led by head coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, prides itself on marrying spread run concepts with a pro-style passing game. This requires receivers to be able to execute precise routes with synced timing with the quarterback. Egbuka fits this well, as he is a skilled route-runner for a young receiver who has some technician aspects to his game and make up. Day and Wilson like to scheme-up shot plays, which Egbuka can easily be schemed into. He has quickness in his secondary-releases and can be both creative and strong in the RAC-phase. We feel Egbuka can be effective as an X in the Big Ten, yet can easily line up off the ball as a Z, while also seeing time inside.

Recruiting Fallout

Ohio State is entering the Early Signing Period with the top class in America and adding the top wideout only re-emphasizes the Buckeyes’ dominance on the trail. Alabama has cut it close at more than one juncture since the summertime and there may still be room for a change at the top, but not as things currently stand. OSU now has 11 members of the SI99 committed to Alabama’s 9, with especially strong groups at running back, wide receiver, defensive line and in the secondary.

Egbuka's SI All-American Scouting Evaluation by Edwin Weathersby II:

Frame: Muscular and well-defined. Good length at 6-foot-1 with powerful and athletic build.

Athleticism: Excellent quickness, evidenced by his 4.19 shuttle time at The Opening in 2019. Very good play strength and powerful lower-half. Explosiveness from 35.10-inch vertical jump is routinely displayed on tape.

Instincts: Good patience and release quickness off the line of scrimmage. Has strength and quickness to escape press, and uses subtle head fakes and deceptive shoulder positioning to set up coverage to his benefit to separate and detach. Emeka possesses enough speed to stack corners vertically on the third-level, yet his concentration, adjustment ability, big strike zone and confidence in his hands allow him to routinely make spectacular plays at the catch point.

Polish: Can work as a boundary-X and has experience in the slot in 2x2 sets. Patient in release-phase with varied approach. Has stretch, blade, foot-fire, single-move and speed releases amongst his release portfolio. Collects information early in stem and can adjust vs. coverage alignments. Solid route-runner at this stage who is very effective on secondary releases and double moves due to his athleticism, sell-ability, agility and quickness. He is also dangerous after the catch, as he has good vision to go along with strength and toughness as a runner. He will need to continue to improve his initial stemming of his routes off the line and consistency of decreasing his pad level at break-points to separate.

Bottom Line: Egbuka is physically and instinctually capable of impacting a collegiate roster early in his career. He’s a competitive player with excellent athleticism and play-making ability. He’s not merely a burner, but possesses many elite traits to progress into becoming the focal point of an offense’s passing game every Saturday.

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