In Emeka Egbuka's first NFL game, he played a pivotal role, including hauling in a last-minute touchdown to give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the lead.
Egbuka finished the day with four receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns for Tampa Bay, which beat the Atlanta Falcons, 23-20. Before he made his mark in the NFL, the Tacoma, Washington, native had an incredible career at Ohio State, a program known for developing wide receivers.
Get to know the young wide receiver who has excelled at every level.
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Where is Emeka Egbuka's hometown?
Egbuka was born in Tacoma, Washington, a city just south of Seattle on the West Coast. He played his high school football at Steilacoom High School. He was named the Washington Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after catching 83 passes for 1,607 yards and 25 touchdowns and totaling 2,240 all-purpose yards.
In high school, Egbuka recorded the following regular season stats:
- 2017-18 (freshman): 44 receptions, 808 yards, 13 touchdowns
- 2018-19 (sophomore): 72 receptions, 1,492 yards, 23 touchdowns
- 2019-20 (junior): 65 receptions, 1,427 yards, 22 touchdowns
Egbuka went on to catch 18 passes — a title game record — for 163 yards and three touchdowns.
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Where did Emeka Egbuka go to college?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Egbuka forwent his senior season at Steilacoom to enroll early at Ohio State. As a freshman, he played 11 games, but only tallied nine catches for 191 yards.
Starting in 2022, Egbuka burst onto the scene with the Buckeyes, hauling in 74 catches for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns. With quarterback CJ Stroud at the helm and wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jaxson Smith-Njigba as teammates, Egbuka helped lead one of the nation's best offenses. The Buckeyes went on to lose to No. 1 Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
While he had a down year with the Buckeyes in 2023, Egbuka still finished third on the team with 515 receiving yards and hauled in four touchdowns.
As a team captain in 2024, Egbuka helped lead Ohio State to a 15-2 season en route to a National Championship. He led the team with 83 receptions, along with 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns. By the end of his college career, he became Ohio State's all-time leader in receptions and only the second player in program history — joining Harrison Jr. — to have two 1,000+ yard seasons.
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Emeka Egbuka college stats
During his time with the Buckeyes, Egbuka accomplished a ton, including winning the 2024 CFP National Championship. He is the program's all-time leader in receptions, along with bringing in a few other awards:
- Second-team all-Big Ten (2022)
- Third-team all-Big Ten (2023 & 2024)
- Second all-time at Ohio State with 2,868 career receiving yards
- Seventh all-time at Ohio State with 24 touchdown receptions
| Season | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns |
| 2020-21 | 9 | 191 | 0 |
| 2021-2022 | 74 | 1,151 | 10 |
| 2022-23 | 41 | 541 | 4 |
| 2023-24 | 81 | 1,011 | 10 |
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