There was a huge game with College Football Playoff aspirations at stake. The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes hosted the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions at noon. Both teams are undefeated, and a loss could mean their plans to make the Playoff and the Big Ten Championship Game end.
For the Buckeyes, they will have to rely heavily on wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., considering the fact that the team is without fellow wideout Emeka Egbuka and running back TreVeyon Henderson. Harrison is expected to be a Top 5 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft because he is that much of a game-changer.
FOX Sports play-by-play commentator Gus Johnson decided to debut a new nickname for Harrison, "Maserati Marv."
Let's just say that the nickname didn't really stick with fans the way that Johnson had anticipated. As in, social media users didn't like it at all.
College football fans were sick of Gus Johnson's 'Maserati Marv' nickname for Marvin Harrison Jr.
Yeah, there were a lot of college football viewers who weren't fans of the nickname.
Harrison is, of course, the son of former Indianapolis Colt wideout Marvin Harrison Sr. Through his first two years at Ohio State, Harrison showed why he is considered the top receiver in college football. He has tremendous speed and can make the big catch when needed. But there was buzz earlier this year about his prospects in the NFL.
Earlier this year, Harrison participated in Ohio State's Pro Day to help out quarterback C.J. Stroud. While the quarterback impressed, scouts and NFL Draft analysts had to pick their jaws up off the floor after watching him run routes and catch passes. An NFL scout texted ESPN's Jordan Reid their thoughts on Harrison and said watching the wide receiver run routes was "like window shopping at a Lamborghini dealership for the model that doesn't come out until next year."
Entering this game, Harrison recorded 31 receptions for 604 yards and five touchdowns. In his three years in college (32 games), Harrison caught 119 passes for 2,006 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Harrison has the potential to be the first position player taken off the board in the NFL Draft in Detroit next April. NFL scouts are enamored by Harrison's abilities. But we'll see if the team that selects him will print up "Maserati Marv" merchandise. Based on initial reactions on social media, not sure they would sell.
