georgia football marvin harrsion ohio state

ATLANTA — Much like the many great quarterbacks the Georgia defense has seen this year, the Bulldogs are accustomed to seeing their fair share of elite wide receivers.

Marvin Harrison Jr. certainly falls into that category. He caught 72 passes for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. While he didn’t win the Biletnikoff Award this year — Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt did — you could make a very easy case he’s the best wide receiver in the country.

“There are wideouts that win because of their speed or their route running and he has those things as well, but he really finishes at a high rate when you have him covered,” Co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann said. “That’s probably his best trait.”

While Hyatt’s best trait is his speed, Harrison is like a vacuum when the ball gets in his area. Georgia players and coaches raved about his catch radius, ability to make contested catches, win 50/50 balls, body control and work ethic. He’s a hard-nosed player, one that could probably fit in well on Georgia’s team.

Instead, the Bulldogs will be scheming up a way to stop him.

“I know he’s very dedicated,” safety Chris Smith said. “He’s out there catching balls early in the morning. It’s something you’ve got to be able to admire in another fellow competitor and hard worker.”

While listing all of what Harrison does well, it’s also worth mentioning that he is indeed the son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr. But to call Harrison Jr. a nepo-baby would ignore all that he has done this season.

Everyone on the Georgia team is well aware of him and what he can do, even if some of them never saw Harrison’s dad in his prime catching passes from Peyton Manning.

“My dad did great things, but now I’m trying to be myself and go out there and make a name for myself and be the best receiver I can be,” Harrison Jr. said.

Georgia was able to keep a lid on Tennessee’s potent passing offense earlier this season, holding Tennessee to just 13 points and 285 total yards. Quarterback Hendon Hooker was also sacked 7.0 times in that game.

Cornerback Kelee Ringo came down with an interception in that win and will be asked to guard the talented Harrison. He won’t be the only one to do so, but his size and length perhaps best allows him to stick with Harrison.

Both players figure to be future NFL draft picks, making that battle one of the must-watch matchups in a game that should be full of them.

Harrison isn’t the only talented wide receiver on Ohio State’s roster, as the Buckeyes also have another 1,000-yard receiver in Emeka Egbuka. Ohio State is also without Jaxon Smith-Njibga, who might be a first-round draft pick in this year’s draft.

Ohio State also had two wide receivers taken in the first round of last year’s draft in Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.

Per Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud — a Heisman Trophy finalist and extremely talented player in his own right — Harrison is every bit as good as those that came before him.

“I’m not saying they’re better than Garrett and Chris, but they were playing really good football to be freshmen,” Stroud said of his wide receivers. “And I think when you come in with that type of attitude, I am not just going to be here to learn. I am going to be here to dominate. That’s when you learn and that’s when you become a great football player. So it hasn’t been overnight.”

The Bulldogs employ a similar mindset within their own team, which explains why Saturday’s game has a national championship-type feel to it. Both Ohio State and Georgia have 11 victories by at least double digits. Ohio State is coming off a loss to Michigan in its most recent game, while Georgia had the worst defensive performance of its season against LSU.

Both teams have something to prove. Harrison Jr. knows that well, what with who his dad is and all. And he knows he’s going to get Georgia’s best shot on Saturday.

“They play very fast, play physical. They have a lot of confidence in themselves to make plays,” Harrison said. “That’s what great players have, confidence in themselves, and can trust their instincts, trust their abilities. They make plays and they’ve made plays all year. We just have to match their energy.”

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