Former Ohio State star Carnell Tate has a lot of names to live up to, but he only wants to live up to one: his own.
Once he is drafted, likely in the first round this week, he will join quite the fraternity of Buckeye wide receivers to make it to the NFL.
Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are just a few Buckeyes to be taken in the first round this decade.
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Naturally, it’s easy for position players to be compared to those who share an alma mater, but Tate does not want to be someone he’s not.
“I can only be Carnell Tate. I’m not Marv, I’m not Garrett, I’m not Chris, those guys are themselves,” Tate said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “Everyone’s paved their destiny for themselves. You go out there and do what you know you can be, not the guy next to you.”
At the very least, the Buckeye brotherhood is strong, and Tate already has go-to guys for advice – and he does feel a responsibility to keep up the positive OSU name.
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“They’re unbelievable, great guys who paved the way for me to have this platform, so it’s only right that I carry on the legacy at Receiver U,” Tate said. “All those guys have been helpful throughout my process. Whenever they come to town, they pour knowledge into us, give us life advice, advice in general about the league. Whenever I need those guys, they welcome me with open arms.”
And whenever young and old Buckeyes get together, surely Tate has PayPal on hand.
“They have the pool thing that allows them to just send a link in a group chat, and it just makes it easier for everyone just to send money,” Tate said of his partnership with PayPal. “PayPal just makes it smoother for everyone.”
The offseason has been a whirlwind for Tate, who went from trying to win a second straight national championship to training for the NFL Draft. There was no true offseason, and he had the most important job interviews of his life while meeting with teams.
But the work is done, and now, Tate is letting the cards fall as they may.
“It’s been different. Everyone says it’ll be the longest year of your life,” Tate admitted. “But it’s been exciting. It’s all I ever wanted, and a week from now, I see my dreams come true.”
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