You know what they say about the Ohio State football program- they don’t ever have to rebuild, all they do is simply reload. This is especially true at the wide receiver position, where Carnell Tate is the current alpha dog. He will likely be a first round pick this April, and he stands a very good chance of becoming the first receiver off the boards.

Tate would join a very elite, but at the same time getting more sizable group- former Buckeyes wideouts who are now starring in the NFL. The school’s official site currently lists seven. They are, in alphabetical order: Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona Cardinals), Terry McLaurin (Washington Commanders), Chris Olave (New Orleans Saints), Curtis Samuel (Buffalo Bills), Jaxson-Smith Njigba (Seattle Seahawks), Michael Thomas (also New Orleans) and Garrett Wilson (New York Jets).

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While sending seven wideouts to the league is impressive, it’s what they’ve done when they got there that truly stands out. The aforementioned group has produced a dozen 1,000 yard seasons, seven Pro Bowls and two All-Pro honors. That includes Thomas, who, despite being not playing in 2024 or being on a current roster, is still officially considered an active player.

He was the AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2019, when he set the NFL record for single season receptions. The Buckeyes exude excellence at all positions, but at receiver, even more so.

The only way to obtain, and then maintain, a level this elite is to have a culture that demands it already within the program. Past success breeds future success. #1 Ohio State travels to #17 Illinois on Saturday, and the Buckeyes receivers could have a big day against an Illini secondary that is a bit banged up right now.

But how did Columbus become the top NFL wide receiver factory? One of the biggest icons in recent Illini athletics history, three time NBA All-Star Deron Williams, said it best.

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“Obviously, we had a level of success that can’t really be taught,” Williams said in a wide-ranging interview with RG.org. “And so the only way to be taught is to play in it and go through it, and we did that.

“Obviously, we played for two great head coaches, and then also they had really great staff behind them, so we were able to learn and see how to do things the right way.”

Williams is right, the only way to be taught this high standard is to play in it and experience it. After Tate gets drafted into the league in 2026, there is another Buckeyes receiver, currently the WR2, ready to step in and become the new go-to guy.

That’s Jeremiah Smith, who is widely regarded to have even more potential than everyone else who came before him. Smith-Njigba has already said that Smith has a higher ceiling than even himself, or any of the other Buckeye receivers who have already come through the ranks.

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And of course, after Smith has moved on to league, there will be another elite 5-star receiver, and so on and so on. That’s what makes Ohio State THE Wide Receiver University, the pipeline just keeps flowing.

This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: OSU is WRU: Ohio State the top program at producing NFL wide receivers