Garrett Wilson has played his final game for Ohio State. The Buckeye junior wide receiver announced on Twitter on Monday that he has decided to skip the Scarlet and Gray’s Rose Bowl game, declare early and begin preparing for the 2022 NFL Draft.
Wilson spent three seasons at Ohio State, helping to form one of the most dangerous wide receiver rooms in the country and putting together a fantastic career. His time with the Buckeyes finishes with 143 receptions for 2,213 yards and 23 touchdowns. Wilson also carried the ball six times for 143 yards and a score and returned 33 punts for 205 yards.
It’s been a special 3 years… To Buckeye Nation with love. ??? #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/FRKHTwNEwj
— Garrett Wilson (@GarrettWilson_V) December 27, 2021
With his collegiate career in the books, Wilson’s name sits prominently in the Scarlet and Gray receiving record books. He leaves Ohio State tied for eighth all time in catches, 10th in receiving yards and seventh in receiving touchdowns. Wilson’s 10 100-yard receiving games over the past three years are tied for third most in Buckeye history with Michael Jenkins, trailing only David Boston’s 14 and teammate Chris Olave‘s 11.
Wilson came to the Buckeyes out of Austin, Texas as a five-star prospect and the second-best receiver in the 2019 recruiting class, per the 247Sports Composite. Wilson was sought after by nearly all of the top programs in the country, committing to Ohio State and returning home after his family moved from Columbus to Austin when he was younger.
As a freshman, it took Wilson some time to break into a wideout rotation that included established names such as Austin Mack, Binjimen Victor, K.J. Hill and Olave. By the second half of the season, Wilson saw more action on offense, including a four-reception game against Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Wilson finished his freshman year with 30 catches for 432 yards and five touchdowns and returned 14 punts for 86 yards.
Prior to the 2020 season, Wilson moved from the outside receiver position to the slot and became the Buckeyes’ No. 2 wideout. Like all of his teammates, Wilson was affected by the COVID-19-shortened season but he still caught 43 passes for 723 yards and six touchdowns in eight games and also carried the ball twice for 67 yards. Wilson returned seven punts in 2020 for 51 yards and had one kickoff return that went for four yards. Following the season, Wilson was named first-team All-Big Ten by the conference’s coaches.
Back to a full year this past season, Wilson was part of the Scarlet and Gray’s nearly unguardable trio of wideouts. Moving back to the outside to make room for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Wilson made his final year at Ohio State his best, catching 70 passes for 1,058 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also returned 13 punts for 68 yards. Wilson was named second-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and the media following the season.
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While the Buckeyes will certainly miss Wilson in the Rose Bowl, the Scarlet and Gray have a number of young and talented wide receivers who have waited their turn and will get an opportunity for a bigger role against Utah and hopefully set themselves up for a big 2022 season.
