As Ohio State football reloads at wide receiver, it carries a South Florida flavor

Brandon Inniss messaged Carnell Tate on Instagram two years ago with an overture.

He asked if Tate would join his 7-on-7 football team called the South Florida Express, describing it as the best in the country.

Though the wide receivers were only acquaintances at the time, their high school teams had met the previous season and Inniss knew Tate was one of the top recruits in their class.

Tate needed little coaxing. A native of Chicago, he had recently moved to Florida in order to transfer to the IMG Academy and hoped to find a 7-on-7 team in his new state during the offseason.

“It was easy,” Inniss said. “We DM’ed, and two weeks later we were playing together.”

As Ohio State reloads at wide receiver this offseason, the makeup of its young corps is rooted in this club from the southern tip of Florida.

Between Inniss and Tate, as well as freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith, the Buckeyes are relying on three receivers who were teammates once before with the South Florida Express to fill the void left by the departures of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Julian Fleming.

“It’s been organic, honestly,” said Brian Hartline, the Buckeyes’ co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. “It hasn’t been purposeful.”

Until the latest recruiting cycles, there had not been much of a pipeline between the 7-on-7 team and Ohio State.

After signing safety Jeremy Cash and linebacker Ryan Shazier as part of their 2011 class, the Buckeyes went a dozen years without adding a prospect with ties to the South Florida Express, or SFE. Then Inniss and Tate enrolled at Ohio State last year with safety Cedrick Hawkins Jr, and Smith followed in January along with quarterback Air Noland.

The change is largely a result of the ways in which the programs horde premier pass catchers.

“My program has some of the best receivers in the country every year,” said Brett Goetz, a financial executive who founded the 7-on-7 team in 2007, “and that’s who Ohio State is recruiting. So you put the pieces together.”

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Like other high-end receiver recruits across the country, the South Florida Express trio was drawn to Hartline, a highly regarded assistant since his promotion to wide receivers coach in 2018.

They were only in elementary school when Hartline was a wide receiver in their backyard with the Miami Dolphins, but the 37-year-old is not so far removed from playing in the NFL that it prevents him from being hands-on while coaching his position group.

“He’s in good enough shape to run around with the guys,” Goetz said, “and show them what needs to be done.”

Smith took notice of the approach after he first visited Ohio State for a prospect camp as a freshman in high school.

The track record developing first-round picks has not lessened the allure, either. Harrison is poised next month to become the fourth Buckeyes receiver in three years to be taken among the first 32 selections.

“These kids want to play in the league,” Goetz said, “and they look at the success of the receivers coming out of there.”

While the Express sit in a region with a surplus of talent, they attract players from other areas and put them in high-profile tournaments.

Those stages allowed the Buckeyes’ receivers to hone their skills, getting more route-running reps while facing tough defensive backs outside of the traditional fall season.

“It definitely helps you better your craft,” Tate said. “7-on-7 is more of a 1-on-1 game, so you’re able to focus more on yourself rather than your team. It translates when you’re in man coverage and have DBs in your face.”

The 7-on-7 circuit is not always an ideal setting for prospects. In particular, quarterbacks do not face the typical pressure that comes with the position. No one is rushing the passers. They instead operate with a few seconds to throw.

But the individual matchups on the perimeter can be rather helpful for the growth of receivers.

“Any time guys are competing,” Hartline said, “especially at our position, it can be good.”

Inniss and Smith had been playing for the Express since they were in middle school. Smith is the cousin of Geno Smith, the Seattle Seahawks’ starting quarterback who was one of the program’s early stars. Geno Smith Sr. is also among the coaches.

When Tate joined in 2022, they became an even more formidable bunch and captured Overtime’s 7-on-7 national championship.

“Every team we have is pretty elite like that,” Goetz said, “but that team was pretty special.”

The time together traveling for tournaments and college visits in the spring and summer allowed them to build camaraderie, a bond they carried to Ohio State.

A level of chemistry remains.

“We know what we can get out of each other and what to expect out of each other,” Tate said. “We know where we can improve in. We’re closer than other guys who come in.”

Inniss said their closeness is most prevalent if they are watching film together. They are secure enough to nitpick each other rather than hold back.

“When you’re comfortable enough to correct a guy that’s already really good like Carnell and J.J. (Jeremiah),” Inniss said, “it ultimately makes us better players. And they hold me accountable, too.”

As they continue to push each other in spring practice and in the offseason months ahead, looking to make an impact for the Buckeyes this fall, they have an appreciation for the convergence of their paths.

“It’s not often that it happens,” Tate said, “but it’s a blessing that we all came here and were talented enough to play here.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football's reloaded WR corps has a South Florida flavor