Ohio State football’s Chris Olave to switch from No. 17 to No. 2 for junior season

Chris Olave #17 of the Ohio State Buckeyes catches a 24-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter in front of Brandon Watson #28 of the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio State football's Chris Olave announced that he will be changing his number for his junior season. The wide receiver wore No. 17 for his freshman and sophomore campaigns.Getty Images

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football’s Chris Olave will be changing to No. 2 his number for his junior season.

The wide receiver has worn No. 17 for the past two years for the Buckeyes, catching 60 passed for 1,037 yards and 15 touchdowns. He returns in 2020 as the top receiver along with Garrett Wilson for a team that lost four of its five-person rotation from last season.

Olave put together solid sophomore season but made a critical mistake in the College Football Playoff, which led to Justin Fields’ third interception of the season and sealed a 29-23 win for Clemson. Outside of that play, the two developed chemistry throughout the season that should carry them both in 2020.

As a three-star recruit out of Mission Hills High School, he was discovered by Ryan Day, who was there to watch Olave’s quarterback. Once on campus, he made a name for himself late in his freshman season capped off by a breakout performance in a 62-29 win over Michigan where he caught two touchdown passes to go along with a blocked punt attempt.

He wore No. 2 while playing for Grizzlies, which was already taken by J.K. Dobbins on offense and Chase Young on defense. With both off to the NFL, the number is open for Olave to take.


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