A video about Terry McLaurin's unheralded rise at Ohio State has gone viral in the aftermath of the receiver signing a new three-year, $70 million contract with the Washington Commanders.
Former Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith shared the story — which in the days since has generated more than one million views and over 125,000 likes — on his TikTok account. It begins with a visit to Ohio State that surely would have left many feeling ashamed, but one which Smith says McLaurin took as an opportunity to prove he belonged.
Smith says he first met McLaurin as a high schooler at a camp designed to scout new potential Ohio State recruits. When Smith informed then-Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer of his desire to offer McLaurin a scholarship, Meyer essentially laughed them both out of the room.
"He came to camp. I've worked him out one-on-one," Smith begins. "After the morning session, we went into a recruiting meeting and Urban Meyer was like, 'Dude, does anyone see anybody that's Ohio State caliber?' And I was like, 'Coach, I've got one that I want to offer.' And he had watched the drills the whole morning and he went off on me. He was like, 'Who? I've coached receivers my entire career. There's not a receiver here who can play, not at this level. What the f*** are you talking about? What are you watching? Were you at a different camp than I was?'
"Then I was like, 'No, Coach. The kid that I worked out was Terry McLaurin. The kid I worked out, I think he has something special. I think he'll be a great player for us and I want to offer him.' And he's like, 'Alright, whatever. You're the receiver coach. Fine. Bring him in my office.' I brought him in his office. I'm thinking alright, he's gonna take my lead. He's gonna offer the kid and trust me, right?
"Hah! That's f***ing comical. He brought him in and proceeded to rip this kid's ass, tell him he wasn't any good, tell him that I must be a sh**ty receiver coach because I want to offer him and he doesn't want to offer him. He doesn't think he can play. And just goes off on me and the kid. This is a recruit, a high school kid, that is not a player at Ohio State. He goes off on him. Tells him he can't catch. And he said, 'I'll tell you what, if you come back to Friday Night Lights and show me that you can catch, then I'll consider offering you. But I need you to go home and catch at least 200 footballs a day.'"
"And guess what Terry McLaurin did?" Smith continues. "He looked at him square-jawed and said, 'Bet. I got you coach.' Walked out. Not pissed off. Not feelings hurt. Not a sensitive little b***h. He went home and caught 200 f***ing balls a day. Sometimes it was his mom in the backyard throwing him footballs. He did it however he needed to do it. He knew the objective, he knew the mission, and he went and did it."
"Came back to Friday Night Lights, caught the ball a little bit better. Still didn't have good ball skills, but caught it better," Smith says. "You could tell he worked on it. And Urban finally was like, 'Alright, this kid's got something. He's got work ethic. Like, he's gonna do what we ask him to do.' And so, boom. He offered him. Kid committed on the spot, the rest is history. He came in for five years and f***ing GRINDED his face off and left Ohio State a great player. And still an underrated and undervalued player. And now he finally has value. He's finally getting what he's worth and it's nothing greater in the world to see."
The story has since spread to other social media platforms, prompting ESPN reporter John Keim to add this tidbit on Twitter:
McLaurin would continue along that unsung track into the NFL, as a third-round draft pick by Washington and the 12th wide receiver off the board in 2019. He's since racked up 3,090 receiving yards, including consecutive 1,000-plus-yard campaigns in the past two seasons, with 16 touchdowns, proving himself as one of the best young receivers the NFL has to offer and a vital component of the Commanders offense.
