College pride spills over to the pro league as always, with another OSU alum pouring it back to his alma mater. The Buckeyes are known as the NFL factory for a reason, and now, with alum Emeka Egbuka, Columbus shines bright in another historical NFL achievement. The rookie, who signed an $18 million contract with the Buccaneers, has made history.

Chipping in 25+ receptions for 400 receiving yards and more than five touchdowns over five games, Egbuka became the first player to achieve this feat in the NFL’s history. A special shoutout was in tow for the then wide receivers coach and the present offensive coordinator, Brian Hartline. The coach is well-respected for his rigorous recruiting efforts to filter out the elitist talent; the perfectionists, who “want the most out of their career that they can gain.” The merit and talent, then pumped to the NFL. “Brian Hartline expects more out of you than you expect of yourself sometimes,” says Egbuka, who is a popular candidate for the NFL Rookie of the Year.

“He put so much into coaching us, and he believed in all of us,” Egbuka added. He stressed that a lot of the success witnessed on the NFL trenches is due to  Hartline’s mentality to recruit like-minded individuals. The coach oozed with pride on Sunday night. “So, how’d the boys in the League do today,” he tweeted on X. Hartline developed many celebrated NFL wide receivers. The list includes: Jaxon Smith-Hjigba, Marvin Harrison, Garrett Wilson, and Chris Olave. All OSU products are making it big in the pro league.

Over the past three NFL Drafts, Columbus has had the honor of sending four first-round picks to the WR position. Smith-Ngigba, a No. 20th overall pick in the 2023 Draft, told ESPN. “To go to Ohio State, you’ve got to know there’s going to be two-five-stars in the room at all times.” Hartline’s next NFL stock is already in the making. Jeremiah Smith is already making some noise. Emeka spilled last month that, “He (Jeremiah) has a real shot at being No. 1,” he said, comparing him to the likes of NFL legends, Julio Jones and Calvin Johnson. “I have not really seen Julio Jones or Calvin Johnson play in person, but I can only imagine it was very similar to this.”

Emeka Egbuka on his OSU learnings

Relishing the glory, Emeka Egbuka credits his hard work and mettle to the OSU mold that shaped him into who he is today. “Ohio State made me ready for the NFL, and we’re all super confident in our abilities,” he said on the Pat McAfee show. “I could’ve gone anywhere, but I wanted to go to Ohio State because I knew it was special,” Egbuka added. Ryan Day and Brian Hartline’s locker room was where Egbuka wanted to be.

“I think something that the wide receiver room at Ohio State prides itself on is, you know, having three wide receiver ones at any given time.” Competing with elite talent all these years prepared him for the NFL trenches. “So we have all the ability to be able to dominate any given game, and we’re all super confident in that ability.” For Egbuka, his goal wasn’t just to hit the turf right away. He wanted to invest in himself, learning and growing. A constant push for his big goals in the NFL.

Hartline, in a conversation with Fox Sports, talked about Egbuka’s hustle. “He wanted to do things in a perfect manner. And if it wasn’t done in that manner, he wasn’t satisfied.” The former WR led his roster to the national championship victory, capping off his collegiate career with 2,868  receiving yards and 26 touchdowns over 49 games.