Garrett Wilson opts out of Rose Bowl, declares for NFL Draft

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The five-star hype was real for Garrett Wilson.

Now the Ohio State wide receiver is getting to work to prove that he’s worth the first-round buzz in the NFL Draft.

The junior confirmed to Lettermen Row his intentions to forego his remaining eligibility with the Buckeyes on Monday, and that he would also be opting out of the Rose Bowl to focus on his next steps as a professional. Neither move will come as any surprise to Ohio State, particularly after he elevated his game this season to become one of the most dangerous targets in the country — and a lock to come off draft boards with the same kind of speed he showed over three seasons in Columbus.

“I told Garrett, I was kind of messing with him, but told him: I don’t want to play with anybody but you,” Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud said earlier this month. “But I tell him do what’s best for him. I really don’t have the say-so in that. That’s up to him and his family and what he wants to do.

“If [Garrett Wilson or Chris Olave] don’t play, then it’s probably a benefit to them — and I fully respect it. Then it’s just time for guys to step up for next year. … I feel like whoever has to step up will if that if that needs to be the case. But of course I want to play with my brothers again and end it the right way.”

The Buckeyes still have a chance to cap the season with a victory, and they opened as a betting favorite over Utah even with the possibility of NFL Draft opt-out decisions hanging over them. Given his soaring stock after scoring 13 touchdowns and racking up 70 catches for 1,058 yards this season, there was never much of an expectation that Wilson would be playing anyway.

But it officially won’t happen now as a five-star career for Garrett Wilson has officially come to an end.