Chris Olave credits Brian Hartline for Ohio State wide receivers' NFL development
Chris Olave credited Ohio State coach Brian Hartline for his NFL development. Going into his second year with the New Orleans Saints, Olave looked back on his college career with the Buckeyes’ assistant.
Olave isn’t the only one at the pro level. Garrett Wilson stars for the New York Jets while the Seattle Seahawks just drafted Jaxon Smith-Njigba. It’s a credit to Hartline, according to Olave.
“He’s a huge part in what we do there, he teaches us on and off the field,” Olave said on NFL Live. “He’s already been in the NFL, so he’s got (a lot of) experience. But we got a group of guys that competed every day, competed against each other, which just made us better at the end of the day.
“It’s a lot of talent in the room, but he lets us develop and run our routes from day one. And just when we catch a ball or do something good, there’s always something to work on. He just set the standard high. We just took off with it and worked hard.”
In 2022, Olave accumulated 72 receptions, 1,042 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson make history out of Ohio State
The wide receiver talent to come out of Ohio State has been some of the best, if not the best, in the NFL. However, the pair of top Buckeye receivers that were selected in last year’s draft, Olave and Wilson, made history as rookies.
Per Albert Breer of The MMQB, Olave and Wilson are now the first pair of rookies to each total 1,000 or more receiving yards over the course of their first years.
“Saints WR Chris Olave and Jets WR Garrett Wilson just became the first pair of receivers from the same school to top 1,000 yards as rookies in NFL history,” tweeted Breer.
Wilson led the way between the two for the Jets with 83 catches for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns. At just 22 years old, he was by far the most productive receiver for New York. Meanwhile, Olave produced 72 catches for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns for New Orleans. His numbers also led the Saints in receiving as well.
Ohio State’s program just spits top-notch receiver talent out of Columbus each and every season. That doesn’t seem to be stopping with these two prospects either as both Olave and Wilson look primed to be key pieces for their respective franchises for years to come.