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Ohio State football WR Marvin Harrison Jr off to side as Buckeyes continue bowl practice

ARLINGTON, Texas — Marvin Harrison Jr. was at Ohio State’s practice on Tuesday, but not dressed in full pads as a participant.

As the Buckeyes were warming up at AT&T Stadium, he was riding a stationary bike in the opposite end zone, as seen by reporters during a brief viewing period.

Harrison, the superstar wide receiver, has not revealed whether he will play in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri on Friday or opt out to begin preparations for next year’s NFL draft.

Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is expected to be among the top selections in the NFL draft.
Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is expected to be among the top selections in the NFL draft.

If he forgoes his final season of eligibility, Harrison is expected to be among the top selections in the draft. He’s considered perhaps the best receiver prospect since Calvin Johnson went No. 2 overall in 2007.

The 6-foot-4 Harrison caught 67 passes or 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, leading him to win the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver and be selected as a unanimous All-American for the second straight year.

No Buckeyes have said they are skipping this week’s bowl game. When Ohio State missed the College Football Playoff and ended up in the Rose Bowl two years ago, it ended up with four opt-outs.

With the exception of Harrison, all other scholarship players were in uniform, including running back TreVeyon Henderson, tight end Cade Stover, defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg.

The five starters have not publicly addressed their status for the game, but were going through drills with their respective position groups.

Eichenberg and Stover are seniors who are expected to enter the draft rather than rather than use their extra COVID-19 year of eligibility, while Henderson, Hall and Tuimoloau are eligible to declare as underclassmen for the first time.

Both Eichenberg and Stover dealt with injuries last month. Stover sat out a win at Rutgers on Nov. 4 with a knee injury, while Eichenberg missed wins the following weeks over Michigan State and Minnesota after he injured his arm against the Scarlet Knights.

Six other draft-eligible underclassmen committed to playing in the bowl game earlier this month, a group that included Emeka Egbuka, the Buckeyes’ other star receiver who had complemented Harrison for the last two seasons.

The Buckeyes began practicing for the Cotton Bowl on Christmas Eve and continued on Christmas Day after they arrived in Dallas on Saturday.

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's Marvin Harrison Jr sitting out Cotton Bowl practice