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Freshman wide receiver Kyion Graves (17) speaks to the media during an availability. Credit: Jacob Benge | Asst. Sports Editor

Freshman wide receiver Kyion Grayes arrived in Columbus in January looking to carve his own role in a talented wide receivers room. 

Grayes joins a group of receivers at Ohio State that includes five-stars Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Emeka Egbuka, and Julian Fleming, along with four-stars Jayden Ballard and Marvin Harrison Jr. He is not the only highly touted receiver in his class coming to Columbus, following fellow incoming freshman wideouts four-stars Kaleb Brown, Caleb Burton and Kojo Antwi. 

Nevertheless, Grayes said he feels like his time at Chandler High School in Chandler, Arizona, helped prepare him for the next level. 

“Coming from my high school days taught me a lot about being accountable,” Grayes said. “That’s made me learn how to compete and make sure I do everything right, especially the little things, so that’s boosted my confidence a lot.”

At Chandler High School, Grayes caught 59 passes for 1,098 yards and 14 touchdowns in 15 games. His team went to back-to-back state championship games, winning in his junior year and losing in his senior year. 

Fellow early enrollee and freshman quarterback Devin Brown said he has been impressed with Grayes after working with him since their arrival in January.

“He’s just so smooth in and out of his routes and he’s super smart,” Devin Brown said. “He always knows every little detail he can see.” 

Grayes has also spent time with the older receivers on the team and mentioned his bond with Egbuka and Harrison.

“The one thing about both of them, they’re all about their business,” Grayes said. “They always like to make sure that they’re on top of their stuff. All they do is work. And the one thing I try to do is make sure that I’m with them every single time they go do that so I can up my game right there with them.”

Wide receivers coach Brian Hartline helped bring Grayes and the other top-tier receivers to Ohio State, Grayes said. 

Grayes pointed to Hartline’s teaching ability and personality as primary reasons for his success as a recruiter. 

“Everyone tells you about his teachings. I’ve been with Johnnie Dixon, Parris Campbell, all these different people. They’ve always told me about how great of a teacher he is, how great of a coach he is,” Grayes said. “The way he is during recruitment is the way he is now. He doesn’t change.”

Grayes is one of 13 early enrollees from the Buckeyes’ 2022 class — and he enters with a promising skill set. He spoke highly about the legacy he and this recruiting class want to leave at Ohio State.

“When it comes down to it, that’s something we want to do as a class and as a team,” he said. “We want to be able to put our year up there, and we want to be able to put these trophies in the trophy case.”