Ohio State is no stranger to recruiting elite talent. Ohio State is also no stranger to bringing in players with legacies and incredible bloodlines. From the Styles brothers off to the NFL this spring to Will Smith Jr. holding down the defensive line, the Buckeyes have plenty of legacies. While Marvin Harrison did not play in Columbus, his son, Marvin Harrison Jr., was a superstar.
However, he has another son: Jett Harrison. Already, the younger Harrison has seriously lofty expectations. Already, the major recruiting services have begun developing their rankings and awarding five stars. Harrison sits atop the Rivals 300 and is eighth according to 247Sports‘ metrics. Of course, there is a long way to go between now and him finally suiting up for a collegiate program.
This weekend, Harrison will visit the Buckeyes.
Ohio State Set to Host a Familiar Name and Current Top Recruit
A Budding Star
Harrison Jr., when talking about his younger brother last May, said, “He’s definitely more talented than I ever was at that age…He sees me here, and I think it’s natural for him to want to follow in my footsteps.” Considering what the elder Harrison did in his time in college, that’s some high praise.
This early in the process, scouts are just beginning to look at what these players can do. As a sophomore in 2025, Harrison hauled in 50 passes for 849 yards and 20 touchdowns. The previous season, as a freshman, Harrison scored 10 times and led St. Joseph’s Prep to a PIAA 6A championship.
Prior to last season, 247Sports‘ scouts keyed in on Harrison as a budding receiver who can flip the field and score from anywhere. He has shown an impressive understanding of the game and high football IQ at his age. Harrison has decent size, leading scouts to salivate at the very thought of what he could be. Plus, he’s versatile and can play inside or outside.
At this point in the process, Ohio State only has two commits in the 2028 cycle. Jameer Whyce, a four-star EDGE, and Elijah Newman-Hill, a four-star athlete, got the class started.
Great Bloodlines
The Harrison name carries a lot of greatness with it. The patriarch of the family, Marvin Harrison, needs little introduction. In college at Syracuse, Harrison amassed a total of 2,728 yards and 20 touchdowns on 135 receptions from 1992 through 1995. In that 1995 season, he led the Big East with 1,131 yards and 20.2 yards per catch.
Of course, he was even better in the NFL. Harrison played 13 seasons in the NFL, all of which were with the Indianapolis Colts. Across his career, with only one injury-shortened season, Harrison put up 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns. He led the AFC in targets twice, receptions twice, yards twice, and touchdowns once. The soon-to-be-inducted Hall of Famer is fifth all-time in receptions and touchdowns, and ninth in receptions.
His namesake, Marvin Harrison Jr., came to Ohio State as a four-star recruit and was considered the number 21 receiver, and was rated 160th overall by 247Sports. Needless to say, he outplayed those ratings. At Ohio State, Harrison Jr. waited until the Rose Bowl to break out with a 71-yard, three-touchdown performance. In total, he totaled 2,613 yards and 31 touchdowns. He led the Big Ten in yards in 2023 while leading the way in touchdowns in both 2022 and 2023.
He left Ohio State fifth in receiving yards and third in touchdowns.
The Brian Hartline of it All
The question for Ohio State isn’t whether or not it can land a big fish in recruiting. The question will be whether the Buckeyes’ pitch and allure will be just as great without Brian Hartline.
Hartline left after last year to be the head coach at South Florida. In his wake, Ryan Day brought in Cortez Hankton. On one hand, the Buckeyes lost Mylan Graham, Quincy Porter, Bryson Rodgers, Damarion Witten, and Bodpegn Miller to the portal, while missing out on Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, a four-star receiver who was committed to Ohio State for 213 days.
On the other hand, Hankton was able to keep Chris Henry Jr., Jerquaden Guilford, Jaeden Ricketts, and Brock Boyd in the class, while pulling Devin McCuin and Kyle Parker from the portal.
Hartline – and, by extension, Ohio State – offered Harrison last Spring. It’s incredibly early in the process, so nobody will be expecting a commitment from the top-rated player of the class this weekend. Harrison will be highly sought after, and Ohio State is likely planning for a real recruiting battle with all the usual suspects like Oregon, Miami (FL), Alabama, and Georgia. However, at this point, only Boston College, Duke, Nebraska, Oregon, Syracuse, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech have joined Ohio State in extending an offer.
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