Defensive end/edge Zion Grady of Enterprise, Alabama, received a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes and would be visiting Ohio State in the spring, according to a post made by Bucknuts early in February. Following up, Bucknuts posted that the visit would take place from May 3–5. The visit took place and went quite nicely.
Grady then committed to Ohio State on July 24 after making an official visit there the weekend of June 21–23.
Although Grady did visit Auburn at the end of July, he assures Buckeye supporters that they need not be concerned.
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In his breakthrough sophomore campaign, Carnell Tate is prepared to be Ohio State football’s “go-to guy.”
This autumn, the Buckeye receiver will demonstrate his abilities to all.
For almost any college football team in the nation, Carnell Tate would be the buzz of the wide receiver room. The fact that freshman wideout Jeremiah Smith, who hasn’t played a down of collegiate football but has pleased everyone who’s watched him with his approach, or senior Emeka Egbuka have been a bigger topic of conversation during the offseason speaks to the caliber of talent Ohio State football has at receiver.
Tate, who will soon start his sophomore year, is still one of the Buckeyes’ most gifted offensive players who is just waiting to take off. It doesn’t bother him that not many people are mentioning him.
Tate declared last week, “I don’t feel like I’m being slept on.” “They will also game plan for me when the game starts. I just play ball and let the media comment.”
Tate was one of the Scarlet and Gray’s brand-new toys a year ago at this time. Tate was a five-star prospect and the third-ranked receiver in the 2023 cycle, despite not being as highly regarded as Smith was in his recruiting class. Even though Julian Fleming, Egbuka, and Marvin Harrison Jr. were back, Ohio State supporters were anticipating what Tate will bring to the offense in 2023.
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Last season, Ohio Stadium spectators witnessed a preview of Tate’s potential. Using the extra opportunity created by Egbuka’s injury, the rookie helped the Buckeyes score in all but two of their offensive contests by collecting 18 catches for 264 yards and a touchdown.
Tate had the highest number of targets (28), catches, and receiving yards for a Scarlet and Gray true freshman since Garrett Wilson in 2019, while finishing fourth among the Buckeyes in all three statistical categories. This includes exceeding Egbuka and Harrison, two future first-round selections in the NFL Draft, as well as Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Tate played the fourth most snaps of any Ohio State receiver despite not starting a game until the Cotton Bowl in December. He caught his first college pass in the team’s victory over Indiana in Week 1, and two weeks later, against Western Kentucky, he scored his first touchdown on a 28-yard catch.
Tate capitalized on Egbuka’s midseason absence. Tate caught seven catches for 114 yards during the junior’s three-game absence against Purdue, Penn State, and Wisconsin.
Tate had a successful first year, but he is much more excited about his encore. His objective is to reach 1,000 receiving yards by 2024 and he hopes to be “that go-to guy” for Ohio State.
Tate has put a lot of effort into getting better this offseason, which is why.
Tate declared, “Everywhere, I’m better.” “As you can see, I’ve been inside the slot and outside. Everywhere I go, I get better. The routes improved, and I increased in size, strength, speed, and agility. I feel fantastic and I’m better everywhere.”
Tate has shown himself to be the player the Buckeyes signed out of Chicago this offseason so far. Tate, who is 6 feet 3 inches and 193 pounds, is expected to take Harrison’s spot as the Scarlet and Gray’s next X receiver. However, as he noted, Tate has filled a variety of positions over the spring, and both wide receivers coach Brian Hartline and head coach Ryan Day have expressed their admiration for the sophomore.
At the beginning of autumn camp, Day declared, “The limit for Carnell is through the roof.” “I believe he has no boundaries to who he can become. Additionally, he is rather proud of the routes he runs. He is undoubtedly talented. That was, I believe, the first thing I noticed about him when he arrived. Likes to run routes with a great deal of precision and takes satisfaction in his ability to know exactly what to do when he goes out there. He is ready when he arrives. He is resilient.”
In a similar vein, Hartline commended Tate’s meticulousness as a player who never commits the same error twice.
Hartline commented on Tate, saying, “He’s exceptionally precise in his mechanics and footwork, and likely has some of the strongest hands on the team when it comes to catching the ball in traffic.”
Tate has proven his contested catching during the first several days of autumn training. In practice, he has made a number of outstanding receptions, frequently from the sidelines. Regarding his hands, the sophomore concurs with Hartline, stating, “I catch everything.” I make a play after the ball is thrown to me.”
According to the receiver, catching the ball requires “a mindset,” and Tate has adopted the proper strategy. Tate has taken the offseason to ensure that there won’t be any more pass-dropping incidents after he botched two last season.
Furthermore, Tate isn’t exactly exposing defensive backs who need to be covering him. Jordan Hancock, Davison Igbinosun, and Denzel Burke make up Ohio State’s starting cornerback trio, which is among the best and deepest in the nation. Players who would start for the majority of other institutions are even the backups for the Buckeyes.
This is the epitome of the Scarlet and Gray’s iron-sharpens-iron mindset, which has been evident throughout the offseason.
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Regarding the encounters with Ohio State’s corners, Tate remarked, “It makes us better all over the field.” We have an excellent secondary, whether that’s outside or inside. Jordan, IGB, Denzel, and Jermaine Mathews Jr. are among us. Thus, they’re improving us every single day. The greatest DBs in the nation are here. Therefore, I don’t believe we will play against any better DBs than we do now.”
Tate acknowledged that, although he is generally quiet and lets classmate Brandon Inniss handle the majority of the trash talking from the receiving room, he can become irrational when he gets excited. In practice, though, Tate usually lets his play speak for itself. Once he enters the game, though, that’s not always the case.
This season, Buckeye fans will witness that play, and by the end of the year, he will guarantee that they are talking about him.
“They’re gonna see me play ball,” Tate stated, “and talk my trash with it.”
