Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State’s standout wide receiver and recipient of the Biletnikoff Award, was absent from the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic’s 14-3 defeat to Missouri in Arlington, Texas on Friday night. Despite traveling with the team to Texas, Harrison didn’t participate in this week’s practices and was officially listed as unavailable according to the Big Ten’s Friday evening availability report.
The Philadelphia native, a likely NFL draft entrant, hasn’t made a formal announcement yet. Mel Kiper, ESPN’s analyst, projects him as the No. 2 prospect for the 2024 draft, just behind USC quarterback Caleb Williams.
Harrison Jr., son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, showcased his talent during three impressive seasons at Ohio State, earning unanimous first-team All-America honors in 2022 and 2023. Accumulating 2,474 yards and 28 touchdowns on 144 receptions, he stood out as the sole non-quarterback at the Heisman Trophy ceremony, finishing fourth in the voting.
Ohio State faced additional setbacks with linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, their leading tackler prior to the bowl, also unavailable. Safety Lathan Ransom, recovering from an injury that kept him out of the regular season’s final month, was ruled out of the Cotton Bowl last week.
The short-handed Buckeyes struggled, managing only 12 first downs and 203 total yards in their loss.
