Ohio State star undecided on NFL Draft, could return for another season

It is widely expected that Ohio State wide receiver and Heisman Trophy finalist Marvin Harrison Jr. will be one of the first three picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Assuming he decides to enter. 

Harrison Jr. left the door open to a return to Ohio State on Thursday when meeting with the media prior to Saturday's Heisman Trophy presentation. 

His main reason for potentially returning is beating Michigan and winning a Big Ten championship, two things he and his Buckeyes teammates failed to do this season.

From ESPN:

"I'm still undecided. You guys know, coming into this year, I wanted to beat 'The Team Up North' (Michigan) and win a Big Ten championship. And obviously I didn't do that this year. So I think that's a great motive to come back, if that's what I decide to do, because that's something I definitely wanted to do in my Ohio State career. Not being able to have done that yet definitely opens the door for me to come back."

In prior years the idea of a player of like Harrison Jr. returning to college and turning down the NFL Draft would have been unheard of. Not only because there would be almost nothing for him to gain in terms of draft position, but the risk of injury and turning down a top-five contract would be way too much to chance. 

But the introduction of NIL and the ability for players to cash in while they are still in college could make that an enticing option if he could land a big enough deal. 

He has been the top wide receiver in the country for the past two years and caught 67 passes for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns during the 2023 season.

He is in New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony along with LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 

Daniels is the current favorite to win the award, but if Harrison Jr. has his name called he would be just the fourth wide receiver to win it joining Tim Brown (1987), Desmond Howard (1991) and DeVonta Smith (2020).