Could an in-state prospect continue Ohio State’s stellar wide receiver run?

Ohio StateLorenzo McMullen is a blue-chip receiver in the 2028 class. Will the Buckeyes get involved?Andrew GillisBy Andrew Gillis, cleveland.comCOLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State general manager Mark Pantoni was upfront.During a sit-down with Cleveland.com after spring practice ended, he explained that, due to the rising cost of high school talent, adding three top players at a single position was almost impossible. That includes Ohio State’s dominant position of the last decade, wide receiver.“The volume of guys that you have to now have on your recruiting board has increased, because you can’t sign all,” Pantoni said at the time. “In the past it’s, ‘OK, let’s go sign the top three receivers in the country.’ You can’t anymore. OK, you can sign one that you’re going to spend, but after that it’s like, ‘Hey, you got to go find day three or free agent-level draft picks.’”A top 25 receiver in the 2028 class, though, could be one to prove Pantoni wrong.Lorenzo McMullen, who attends Princeton High School in Cincinnati, is the No. 25 overall prospect in the Rivals Industry Ranking. After picking up an offer over the summer, one he’d hoped to pick up for months, the Buckeyes are now in the mix with Notre Dame, Penn State and LSU. “It definitely meant a lot,” McMullen said last Thursday of his Ohio State offer. “My whole family still lives there.”Now, one of the most likely options to continue Ohio State’s stellar receiving run could be the in-state prospect.“Whatever it is, is gonna make me better,” McMullen said of potentially joining a loaded receiver room in Columbus. “If I start, if I don’t start, it’s gonna make me better. But I like the competition.”Ohio State already has Jett Harrison, the No. 4 overall prospect, committed in the class. And in 2029, it has Austin Miller, a top 100 prospect, pledged as well.Meaning if McMullen wants to join the class, he’ll join a group where the centerpiece of the position is already in place. For some out-of-state prospects, without Ohio ties, that might be an issue. McMullen, though, fits the mold of someone that could be onboard for that.The superpower for Ohio State’s receiver room in recent years has, indeed, been the high-end talent that has been produced year over year. But it’s not just that, it’s the volume of that talent as well. Ohio State’s second receiver in 2025, Carnell Tate, was the No. 41 overall prospect in the class. He ended up going fourth in the 2026 NFL Draft. Its second leading receiver in 2023 and 2024, Emeka Egbuka, was once the No. 15 overall prospect in the country. He was the No. 19 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The same holds true for almost a decade at this point, since former receivers coach/offensive coordinator Brian Hartline arrived on campus.The Buckeyes have long recruited the position well, but in an era of transfer portal movement and NIL payments to players, the idea of stacking a class like 2021 (with three top 90 commitments in the five-star Egbuka and four-stars Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jayden Ballard) is less enticing for both player and school.Considering McMullen’s talent, upside and hometown roots, though, Ohio State landing two five-star receivers in a single class, at least in 2028, might not be so far-fetched.“Being an Ohio guy, playing for THE Ohio school,” McMullen began, “It’s definitely a dream.”Andrew Gillis covers Ohio State football and recruiting for Cleveland.com. He provides updates on Ohio State football as a whole, its prospects and the Buckeyes each week. He previously covered the Bengals for...