Emeka Egbuka

About

Emeka Egbuka (;born October 14, 2002) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, finishing as their career receptions leader prior to being selected by the Buccaneers in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Egbuka was born in Tacoma, Washington and grew up in Steilacoom, Washington. He began playing football at a young age, and initially wanted to play college football for the Oregon Ducks. His admiration for the program came from their uniforms and his idolization of late Ducks linebacker Fotu Leiato, a fellow Steilacoom native and childhood mentor of Egbuka. He attended Steilacoom High School and was named the Washington Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after he caught 83 passes for 1,607 yards and 25 touchdowns and compiled 2,240 all-purpose yards with three punt return touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns. Egbuka was also a standout baseball athlete, playing center fielder throughout his youth career. When he was 8 years old, he won the MLB’s Pitch, Hit & Run competition for his age group. Egbuka credits baseball as a contributor…