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'''Emeka Egbuka''' (born October 14, 2002) is an American professional [[American football|football]] [[wide receiver]] for the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played [[college football]] for the [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State Buckeyes]], finishing as their [[Ohio State Buckeyes football statistical leaders|career receptions leader]] prior to being selected by the Buccaneers in the first round of the [[2025 NFL draft]]. |
'''Emeka Egbuka''' (born October 14, 2002) is an American professional [[American football|football]] [[wide receiver]] for the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played [[college football]] for the [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|He helped Ohio State win the 2025 national championship for the first 12 team playoff. He worked alongside of wide receiver greats such as Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave, and JJ Snith. Ohio State Buckeyes]], finishing as their [[Ohio State Buckeyes football statistical leaders|career receptions leader]] prior to being selected by the Buccaneers 9th in the first round of the [[2025 NFL draft]]. |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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Revision as of 19:03, 15 June 2025
 Egbuka with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2025 | |
| No. 9 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 14, 2002 Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 202 lb (92 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Steilacoom (Steilacoom, Washington) |
| College: | Ohio State (2021–2024) |
| NFL draft: | 2025: 1st round, 19th pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Emeka Egbuka (born October 14, 2002) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the He helped Ohio State win the 2025 national championship for the first 12 team playoff. He worked alongside of wide receiver greats such as Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave, and JJ Snith. Ohio State Buckeyes, finishing as their career receptions leader prior to being selected by the Buccaneers 9th in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Early life
Egbuka was born in Tacoma, Washington and grew up in Steilacoom, Washington.[1][2] He began playing football at a young age, and initially wanted to play college football for the Oregon Ducks. His admiration for the program came from their uniforms and his idolization of late Ducks linebacker Fotu Leiato, a fellow Steliacoom native and childhood mentor of Egbuka.[3][4] He attended Steilacoom High School and was named the Washington Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after he caught 83 passes for 1,607 yards and 25 touchdowns and compiled 2,240 all-purpose yards with three punt return touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns.[5][6] Egbuka was also a standout Baseball athlete, playing Center-fielder throughout his youth career. When he was 8 years old, he won the MLB's Pitch, Hit & Run competition for his age group. Egbuka credits baseball as a contributor for his athleticism, and claims it helped him develop into a better wide receiver.[7][8] Egbuka was rated a five-star recruit and committed to play college football at Ohio State.[9]
College career
Egbuka joined the Ohio State Buckeyes as an early enrollee in January 2021, forgoing his senior season at Steilacoom which had been moved to the spring due to COVID-19.[10] He played in 11 games as a freshman and caught nine passes for 191 yards.[11] He also returned 20 kickoffs for 580 yards and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference.[12][13] As a sophomore in 2022, Egbuka recorded over 1,000 receiving yards. He set the school's career receptions record during his 2024 senior season with 205.[14]
| Season | GP | Receiving | Rushing | Kick returns | Punt returns | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2021 | 11 | 9 | 191 | 21.2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 20 | 580 | 29.0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 13 | 74 | 1,151 | 15.6 | 10 | 11 | 87 | 7.9 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 0 | 11 | 75 | 6.8 | 0 |
| 2023 | 10 | 41 | 515 | 12.6 | 4 | 5 | 25 | 5.0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 23 | 3.3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 16 | 81 | 1,011 | 12.5 | 10 | 8 | 33 | 4.1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 0 |
| Career[15] | 60 | 205 | 2,868 | 14.0 | 24 | 24 | 145 | 6.0 | 2 | 22 | 621 | 28.2 | 0 | 19 | 97 | 5.1 | 0 |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+7⁄8 in (1.85 m) |
202 lb (92 kg) |
31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.45 s | 1.50 s | 2.57 s | 4.12 s | 38 in (0.97 m) | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[16][17][18] | ||||||||||||
Egbuka was selected in the first round with the 19th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2025 NFL draft.[19]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2025 | TB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Personal life
Egbuka is a Christian.[20] Egbuka's grandfather Ron Frederick was elected mayor of DuPont, Washington, in 2020.[21]
References
- ^ Cotterill, TJ (November 14, 2019). "Steilacoom's Emeka Egbuka, nation's No. 1 junior athlete, getting five-star treatment". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Birmingham, Jeremy (December 14, 2020). "'Different' Emeka Egbuka won't accept anything short of greatness". On3. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ snoadmin; Medow, Shawn (June 14, 2018). "Former Oregon football player Fotu Leiato found dead". Daily Emerald. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ Soto, Andrés (December 30, 2024). "Why Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka draws inspiration from a former Oregon linebacker". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ Cotterill, TJ (December 14, 2019). "Seattle Times All-State Football: Steilacoom's Emeka Egbuka just 'plays at a different speed'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Eklund, Scott (December 6, 2019). "Steilacoom's Egbuka is the Gatorade State Player of the Year". 247Sports.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ "How Egbuka's 'serious' baseball career helped him". Yahoo Sports. February 28, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ Kaufman, Joey. "Emeka Egbuka: Get to know Ohio State football's star wide receiver". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ VanHaaren, Tom (December 11, 2020). "Emeka Egbuka commits to Ohio State Buckeyes football team". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Harrison, Phil (January 23, 2021). "Ohio State football's early enrollees for 2021". Buckeyes Wire. USA Today. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Gay, Colin (September 3, 2022). "What you need to know about Ohio State football wide receiver Emeka Egbuka". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Benge, Jacob (August 28, 2022). "Emeka Egbuka becoming 'multifaceted' as Ohio State kick returner, receiver". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Means, Stephen (September 4, 2022). "Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison show promise but leave plenty of room for growth in first start: Stephen Means' Observations". Cleveland.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Schmidt, Lori (January 20, 2025). "'Ohio State football's Emeka Egbuka now has more catches than any Buckeyes player ever'". Retrieved January 21, 2025.
- ^ "Emeka Egbuka College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
- ^ "Emeka Egbuka Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "Emeka Egbuka College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "Workout Results From Ohio State's Pro Day". ElevenWarriors.com. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ "Emeka Egbuka selected in first round of NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers". High School On SI. April 22, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ Claybourn, Cole. "15 Christ-following college football players to watch in 2024". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ Birmingham, Jeremy (December 14, 2020). "'Different' Emeka Egbuka won't accept anything short of greatness". On3. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
External links
