OSU without Harrison in Cotton Bowl vs. Missouri

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterDec 29, 2023, 06:49 PM ET
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- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
- Graduate of Northwestern University.

Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., a Heisman Trophy finalist and the Biletnikoff Award winner, will not play Friday night against Missouri in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas.

Harrison, who accompanied the team to Texas but did not participate in practices this week, was listed as out on the Big Ten’s availability report released Friday evening.

The junior from Philadelphia is expected to enter the NFL draft, although a formal announcement has not been made. ESPN’s Mel Kiper projects Harrison as the No. 2 prospect for the 2024 draft, behind USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

The son of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison, who played 13 NFL seasons and made eight Pro Bowls, Harrison Jr. starred for Ohio State during the past three seasons.

He earned unanimous first-team All-America honors in 2022 and 2023, combining for 2,474 yards and 28 touchdowns on 144 receptions. Harrison was the only non-quarterback invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony and finished fourth in the voting.

Ohio State also will be without linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, who leads the team with 80 tackles. Safety Lathan Ransom, who missed Ohio State’s final month of the regular season with an injury, was ruled out of the Cotton Bowl last week.