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Ohio State wasn’t able to punch its ticket to the College Football Playoff this season, but the program still posted an 11-1 record en route to getting an invite to the Cotton Bowl. It does seem like it’s poised to lose some notable players in the offseason, but boosters are supposedly going to great lengths to keep them in Columbus.
The NIL Era has spawned plenty of controversy thanks to players who can now take money into consideration when deciding where they want to play, and if you’re a star player for the Ohio State Buckeyes, you’re in a position to do very, very well for yourself.
That label could certainly be used to describe Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. as well as running back TreVeyon Henderson, who were both incredibly valuable contributors to the offensive cause this season.
On Wednesday, USA Today reported Henderson will be returning for his senior year, which was a fairly surprising move when you consider most people viewed him as one of the more sought-after running back options if he decided to declare for the NFL Draft.
Harrison, on the other hand, has not announced his plans for the future, but when you consider CBS Sports currently predicts he’ll be selected with the second pick, he’d be turning down the chance to secure a contract worth close to $40 million over the course of the next four years.
However, according to NFL insider Chris Williams, Ohio State may have a trick up its sleeve in the form of the NIL deals it’s allegedly using to give both guys some incentive to stay for one more year, asserting they “rival first-round draft pick money.”
Marvin Harrison Jr. and TreVeyon Henderson have allegedly been offered NIL deals that rival first-round draft pick money to keep them at Ohio State for the 2024 season, per sources. It’s unclear if either will accept the deals. pic.twitter.com/7CXKCn3Zwb
— Christian Williams (@CWilliamsNFL) December 7, 2023
At first glance, it does seem like the potential downside is greater than the upside (especially when it comes it Harrison), as there’s always a chance they could succumb to an injury that hurts their draft stock and hampers their ability to make even more money at the NFL level in the long term.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it all pans out.