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Mylan Graham plans to meet Brian Hartline's standard as Ohio State 2024 5-star WR commit

Mylan Graham had nothing to prove taking the field at Fortress Obetz for Under Armour Next’s Ohio football camp.

The 2024 five-star wide receiver is already an Ohio State commit with no intention of visiting any other schools prior to enrolling. For him, Sunday was just a chance to have fun, get better and show what he can do.

This mindset allowed Graham to shine, leaving with an invitation to play in the 2024 Under Armour All-America Game. But that mindset is also what got Graham on Brian Hartline's radar in the first place, attending Ohio State football’s June 1 recruiting camp where he “balled out” and earned his first Division 1 offer.

“I was like a no-star, no-offer type of guy,” Graham said. “(Hartline) was like he didn’t really care. He saw some potential in me that he liked to coach. I really thought about that when I ended up committing.”

2024 five-star wide receiver commit Mylan Graham earned an invitation to play in the Under Armour All-America Game after shining during Under Armour's Next Ohio football camp Sunday at Fortress Obetz.
2024 five-star wide receiver commit Mylan Graham earned an invitation to play in the Under Armour All-America Game after shining during Under Armour's Next Ohio football camp Sunday at Fortress Obetz.

Indiana, Notre Dame and Michigan extended offers to Graham within seven days of the Buckeyes’ offer, later getting the attention of Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn Georgia and Miami, among others.

For Graham, it was not until those later offers until he understood the weight of his first.

“I couldn’t tell the difference from an Ohio State offer and like a MAC school offer,” Graham said. “I was just trying to get offers at the moment. And then later, when everything started kicking in, I realized Ohio State was a pretty big school to get your first offer from.”

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Standing at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, Graham describes himself as a “smaller, more versatile receiver” that can move inside or outside like former Ohio State wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Garrett Wilson.

“When I get the ball in my hands, it’s like magic,” Graham said, crediting his ability to get in and out of breaks along with his technique and polished route running.

Graham, an Indiana native, put that on display last season at New Haven High School, recording 1,149 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 48 catches per MaxPreps. Heading into his senior season, Graham is the No. 19 player and No. 4 receiver in the 2024 class per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Graham is one of seven five-star wide receivers in the class, including Jeremiah Smith, the No. 1 wide receiver in the class, who is also a Buckeye commit.

In his multiple visits to Ohio State ahead of his commitment, including the Buckeyes’ Student Appreciation Day practice April 1, Graham said he became more and more comfortable with Hartline and what he told his receivers during position meetings.

Ahead of his enrollment, which he said could possibly be in January, Graham said he’s learned that a physical advantage is not the most important thing when facing a college-level; defensive back.

“It’s more mental,” Graham said. “You could be the same size… but, I mean, if you’re ahead of him mentally — if you’re more technical — I feel like you can beat a college DB.”

Recruit Mylan Graham visits Ohio Stadium during the Ohio State, Michigan game.
Recruit Mylan Graham visits Ohio Stadium during the Ohio State, Michigan game.

As an Ohio State commit, Graham said he’s helping other members of the 2024 class recruit, naming four-star wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan and “the Ohio DBs” — Bryce West and Aaron Scott — as his personal targets.

But to Graham’s commitment to Ohio State, he felt he was done washing time. And now, his attention is to be the next in line of what he describes as Hartline’s track record of developing first-round receivers.

“It’s almost like a standard,” Graham said.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mylan Graham plans to meet standard as Ohio State 5-star wide receiver