Marvin Harrison Jr. has been practically unguardable since the start of last season. If No. 2 Ohio State reaches the national championship game, the star wideout may very well may break the Buckeyes’ all-time records for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
In order for that to happen, though, Harrison will likely have to do something he has never done before: beat archrival Michigan. The two teams meet at The Big House on Saturday with a trip to the Big Ten championship game on the line.
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After catching 11 passes as a true freshman, Harrison burst onto the scene in 2022 with a 1,263-yard, 14-touchdown season, and has been every bit as good in 2023. He is one of just three receivers in the nation with more than 1,000 yards (1,093) and more than 12 touchdowns (13).
With his seven catches for 149 yards in Ohio State’s 38-3 win over Michigan State on Nov. 11, Harrison became the first player in program history to record multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons. He pointed to his faith in God as a driving force for him while reflecting on the accomplishment after the game.
“It’s crazy,” Harrison said in the postgame press conference. “All praise and glory to God. He’s blessed me a lot with a lot of different gifts. Each and every day, I just try to honor those gifts, put in as much work as I can, and He’s blessed me to be able to accomplish a feat like that.”
Harrison plays with the shape of a cross in one of his thigh pads and regularly mentions his faith on social media, putting “AGTG” — which stands for “All glory to God” — at the end of some of his posts. Earlier this month, he captioned an Instagram post with 2 Chronicles 15:7. The verse says, “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”
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In a recent interview with GQ, Harrison was asked what his special ingredient was. His answer revolved around Scripture and growing closer to the Lord.
“My Bible,” he said. “I continue to pray, to pursue my faith as much as I can outside of football. And so that’s one thing that I probably would say is a main ingredient for me.”
A big game Saturday could secure Harrison a trip to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist, and he is in contention to be the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL draft. He is expected to be the first wideout taken in the top three since Calvin Johnson was selected second overall in 2007.
While he still has plenty of football-related goals he wants to accomplish as a Buckeye, Harrison wants his legacy to be measured by the impact he has on people rather than the numbers he puts up.
“I just want people to remember the person who I was, you know?” he told GQ. “In the building, how was I as a teammate? How was my work ethic? I think my legacy will be my work ethic and the influence I had on my teammates. Most important is that I was the guy that treated everyone equally and said ‘hi’ to everyone.”
The Buckeyes and Wolverines kick off at 12 p.m. ET on FOX.
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