While Buccaneers rising star Emeka Egbuka enjoys the spectacular start to his NFL career, his former roommate at Ohio State is taking on some turbulence.
Marvin Harrison Jr., the No. 4 pick of the 2024 draft, still hasn't found his footing at the next level. After a solid-but-not-spectacular rookie season that didn't quite live up to expectations, Harrison is still waiting to break out in his second season. But through three games, it's been more of the same, and he had arguably the worst drop of his career Sunday against the 49ers.
Is Egbuka concerned about Harrison's career outlook?
"I'm not worried about him at all. Not even a little bit," Egbuka told host Kay Adams on Thursday's episode of the the Up & Adams Show. "Marvin and I were roommates coming into Ohio State. We did absolutely everything together, and we came into Ohio State saying, 'Hey, we're going to put our head down. We're going to work. And we're going to be one of the greatest duos to ever do it here.' Looking at the stats and stuff, I think what we set out to do held true.
"Just the amount of work I've seen him put in over the past years when we were at Ohio State—this dude is working until dark. He wakes up early and he's just constantly thinking about football. The yips are a real thing. They happen from time to time. I've had them myself. But there's absolutely no worries there. He's one of the most talented individuals I've had the pleasure of working with. The sky is really the limit for him; I can't wait to see what he does the rest of the year and his career."
"I'm not worried about him at all. Not even a little bit."
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) September 25, 2025
Emeka Egbuka on his former Ohio State roommate Marvin Harrison Jr.@heykayadams | @EgbukaEmeka pic.twitter.com/8DwnPumotl
Harrison is off to a rough start in 2025. Through three games, he has caught just 10 of 17 targets for 142 receiving yards and one touchdown. And to make matters worse, during the Cardinals' 16-15 loss to the 49ers in Week 3, Harrison dropped a perfect 35-yard pass from quarterback Kyler Murray despite not having a defender within five yards of him.
After the game, Harrison got a bit emotional reflecting on that drop and his struggles so far.
"A lot of emotion. Just disappointed really. I know what I put into the game, so doesn't feel the best," Harrison Jr. said. "Everybody got a job to do. I'm not doing mine at a high enough level at the moment. I think I know what I'm capable of, to go out there and play nowhere near the best of my abilities, it's frustrating, it hurts the team. I've got to get better."
Harrison's next chance at redemption will be a prime-time matchup against the rival Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. Egbuka will likely be tuning in and rooting for his old Buckeyes teammate.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Emeka Egbuka Not Worried About Cardinals' Marvin Harrison Jr. Having the 'Yips'.
