GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Ohio State football teams wide receiver room is about to get a lot younger.

The Buckeyes are going to lose all but two players from Brian Hartlines unit, which accounts for the bulk of the production. K.J. Hill, Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor combined for 1,570 yards and 19 touchdowns on 119 catches.

That will leave Chris Olave as the most experienced player in the room. It seems like just yesterday when Olave was a true freshman making a name for himself in a 62-29 win over Michigan. Now hes the old man in a room that will be filled with both talent and inexperience.

Its crazy, Olave said before the Fiesta Bowl. Especially having those four receivers coming in. Im only 19 years old so having that role is crazy. Having two lead guys like Garrett (Wilson) and Jameson (Williams), theyre very, very, very talented. Its a big role to step in.

Olave was the target of Justin Fields final throw of the 2019 season. Instead of it being the play that gave Ohio State a win over Clemson a trip to the National Championship game, it gave Fields more interceptions in one game than hed had all season. Olave misread his quarterback and it led to dire consequences.

Hes very upset in the locker room right now, head coach Ryan Day said after the game. He thought Justin [Fields] was scrambling...Justin does a lot of creating, so they werent on the same page. Theyre playing football, and theyre competing. Things like that happen. Unfortunately, that happened to us on the last play of the game when we needed it the most.

The two spend most of the season developing the type of chemistry that would eventually lead to this moment. There was a major emphasis on the receivers learning how to react to a quarterback who was just as dangerous with his legs as he was with his arm. Olave didnt have to worry about that in 2018 with Dwayne Haskins, an arm talent with little ability outside of the pocket.

It took some time for the two to build what would eventually turn into 48 connections for a team-high 840 yards and 12 touchdowns. That was best personified against Rutgers, where both had career days. Fields got his first 300-yard day to go along with four touchdown passes. Four of his 15 completions went to Olave for 139 yards, the first 100-yard receiving game of his career and the first by any Buckeye that season.

Fields had found his reliable deep-ball target.

That season-ending play against Clemson had been an untimely blip in what the two had established this season. In 2020 Fields, will once again rely on his favorite deep-ball target and Olave will have to emerge in his role as the leader in the wide receiver room.

Hes starting to speak up to younger guys because thats going to be his of his job, Hill said. Hed learned from us just seeing how we did it. I feel like theyre going to be in great hands with him as the leader next year.

Hill has been in Olaves shoes. He understands what its like to be the lead receiver on a team with receivers who had some, but nowhere near the on-field experience he had. Its part of the reason the fifth-year senior and Ohio States all-time leader in receptions was named captain. But he also had veterans Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor in the room with him. Garrett Wilson is the only other returner who got consistent playing time, but he will just be a sophomore.

Chris is more of a by-example kind of guy, Hartline said. Im able to use him as an example to show guys how to go about their business, how to carry themselves, how to be respectful, how to work. But as that goes, to mature he needs to continue to be more vocal at times.

Ohio State competed with the team that has been in its way its last two trips to the College Football Playoff. Despite some first-half obstacles rather self-inflicted or because of officiating the Buckeyes still found themselves in a position to win a football game. They were a route away from getting to New Orleans.

Next season they could get back there, and with how the roster is shaping out it may come down to Fields and Olave once again.

Chris Olave is an unbelievable competitor, Day said. He loves his teammates. Nobody feels worse than Chris right now. So when you play games like this, you put yourself out there, and thats what happened at the end of the game. Our guys were competing all the way down to the end.

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Link:
Why Justin Fields and Chris Olaves chemistry will be vital for Ohio State football this offseason - cleveland.com