OLAVE GIVES ALL ON FOOTBALL FIELD
Former Mission Hills star now a standout receiver for fourth-ranked Ohio State
During a national TV game between Indiana and Ohio State, Fox Sports commentator Joel Klatt called Buckeyes receiver Chris Olave “one of the best players in America.”
Through four games in this odd COVID-19 season, the former Mission Hills High standout is proving Klatt correct.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Olave has 26 receptions for 389 yards and four touchdowns.
Pro Football Network said “there is a legitimate chance” Olave would be a first-round choice, while NFL DraftScout said he is “an exceptional route-runner.”
Olave, a junior, would have to declare for the NFL Draft, a decision he said will come down the line.
And while pro football appears to be in his future, football isn’t Olave’s favorite sport.
“I grew up playing basketball,” Olave said. “Basketball is my first love, but I never put myself fully into it like I did football.”
Olave started on the Mission Hills basketball team and displayed the athleticism that has made him a star in football.
Grizzlies basketball coach Curtis Hofmeister said Olave could have played Division I college basketball
had he chosen to dedicate himself to the game.
Football, though, is the Olave family sport.
Isiah Olave played at Eastlake High. A defensive back, he was a captain at UC Davis and an All-Big Sky Conference selection.
Josh Olave didn’t get to play at Mission Hills after the CIF ruled against his transfer from Eastlake.
Josh is an all-conference defensive
back at Azusa Pacific. He has played in 34 games with 93 tackles and 10 interceptions. The Tigers aren’t playing this season.
“I talk with my brothers nearly every day,” Chris Olave said. “We’re best friends. My brothers play defense, but offense came more naturally to me. So when I had a chance to play receiver, I jumped at it.
“I played some defense in high
school, but I’m much more comfortable on the offensive side. I was very fortunate to have a great quarterback (Jack Tuttle) in high school.”
Tuttle is now at Indiana and the former Mission Hills pair — who are great friends — talked for 15 minutes after the Hoosiers and Buckeyes played two weeks ago.
Olave caught 93 of Tuttle’s passes their senior season. Olave had 1,764 yards and 26 TDs that season.
Tuttle and Olave hooked up 12 times for 150 yards and a TD in a 2619 loss to Helix in the San Diego Section Open Division championship game.
In 32 games at Ohio State, Olave has 86 receptions for 1,426 yards and 19 TDs. With 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash, Olave is considered a deep threat, averaging 17.5 yards on 46 catches last season.
Attesting to his explosiveness, he ran 10.8 in the 100 meters in high school and had a best of 23-feet, 6inches in the long jump.
He has morphed into Ohio State’s most-reliable third-down receiver this season and is on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.
This season he switched to No. 2 because he said he was “ready to explode.”
“I didn’t expect this kind of suc
cess coming in here,” said Olave, who had 24 college offers, including UCLA, USC, Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida and Oregon.
“At first, I was just glad to contribute (playing mostly special teams early in his freshman year, blocking a punt against Indiana).
“Playing at Mission Hills, a college-type program, helped me a lot. But I’m much better now than when I got here. I’ve grown into my body. I’ve gained strength.
“I’m much more polished, more mature.”
The Buckeyes have played in a lot of big games with Olave.
Ohio State is 30-2 in Olave’s three seasons, including a 2018 Rose Bowl win over Washington and a national playoff semifinal loss to Clemson last season.
“Playing home games in front of 100,000 and at Michigan before 100,000 is amazing,” Olave said. “Playing Clemson was great. ... Seems like we’re always in the spotlight.
“I haven’t gotten used to the weather here. It seems like every time we play it rains.”
This season, including the rain, has been like no other.
The Big Ten started the football season late. At 4-0 and ranked No. 4, Ohio State had a Week 4 game against Maryland canceled as well as its game with Illinois last week.
The Buckeyes have two regularseason games left: today at Michigan State (9 a.m., Ch. 10) and next week against Michigan.
“This season definitely has been different,” Olave said. “Playing games without fans is really strange. We’ve had to make a lot of adjustments. We want to play, so having games canceled hurts.
“Still, I’m truly blessed to be in the position I’m in. It was definitely the right decision to come here.”
Tuttle No. 1
With Indiana quarterback Michael Penix suffering a torn ACL last Saturday, Tuttle will make his first career start today at No. 16 Wisconsin (12:30 p.m., Ch. 10).
The redshirt sophomore completed all five of his passes for 31 yards after Penix went down Saturday, leading the Hoosiers to a pair of TD drives and a victory. It was Tuttle’s first action of the season for the No. 12-ranked Hoosiers (5-1).
Tuttle was the San Diego Section Offensive Player of the Year in 2017, completing 228 of 329 passes for 3,294 yards and 42 TDs with only four interceptions.
He was recruited by Alabama, USC, Wisconsin, Nebraska and
LSU among others, but chose Utah. He played five games for the Utes in 2019, completing 6-of-11 passes for 34 yards.
“Jack Tuttle is a special player, too,” Indiana coach Tom Allen said at his Monday news conference. “He’s got a big-time arm. His greatest quality is his work ethic.
“When he entered the game Saturday, he was ready.”
Tuttle said he prepared each week this season as though he would be the starter.
“Coming in and being prepared, I came in ready to go,” Tuttle told Indiana reporters this week. “I did not feel like there was a lot of nerves coming in. The preparation really helped.
“... I’m looking forward to playing loose and having some fun on Saturday.”
Elsewhere
Linebacker Tyson Maeva (Cathedral Catholic) has 19 tackles, two tackles for a loss and a sack for 0-5 Florida International.
• Charlotte defensive tackle Josia Sa’o (Kearny) has seven tackles in five games. He’s a graduate transfer from Vanderbilt.
• Rice kicker Collin Riccitelli (Carlsbad), a transfer from Stanford, has made 4-of-6 field goals and 7-of-8 PATs. Rice is 1-2 but has had eight games canceled or postponed.