Wide receivers have been a deep unit throughout the spring for the Buckeyes, with all members of Zone 6 returning to play for another year. This fall, most of the receivers that you see out on the field are going to look familiar. One player who worked to prove himself as a dependable red zone receiver last year was junior wide receiver Binjimen Victor.
He did not see as much of the field as he would have liked, however.
This spring, Victor had the opportunity to show that he has developed his talent and become a more reliable receiver that the Buckeyes can rely on in the fall. Even though he was a star in the spring game, he knows he still has to keep getting better.
“The team, it was a pretty solid spring for the whole team,” Victor said. “For me, I feel like it was kind of up and down a little bit with consistency, but I got the summer to get that down and get ready for the season to help my team win games.”
In the spring game on Saturday, Victor caught five passes for 91 yards, including a deep pass from redshirt sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins for 43 yards. Victor also scored a touchdown for the Gray team and demonstrated his speed and blocking abilities down the field.
“I was pretty excited about the way I played today,” he said afterward. “I think it was a pretty solid day.”
No matter who the quarterback is, Binjimen Victor’s job is to be at the right place at the right time. And although he has evolved in his position as a top option in the red zone last year, he wants to do more for this team. In order to do that, he has to work on his consistency. A good performance in the spring game does not mean everything.
“I feel like I can be more consistent,” he said. “And my play can help my teammates develop that confidence in me.”
Victor has the ability and potential, but still has a ways to go. As a veteran, he can rely on his talent more and not have to worry about everything as much. He is now able to simply go out there and play.
“I feel like I got way better in the meeting rooms and everything like that,” he said. “I feel like everything is slowing down for me. I’ve just got to go out there and put it on the field.”
Victor knows that relying on talent won’t be enough for him to emerge as a major contributor this fall. He made steps this offseason and finished out spring ball with a performance in the spring game that showed flashes of his abilities. His plan is to continue to make these strides toward consistency over the summer.
“Don’t have up and down days,” he said. “Everyday has to be a good day, and I feel like that’s what I need to work at as well. And I’m really looking forward to this summer and making that happen.”
Although he was also pleased with Victor’s performance in the spring game, head coach Urban Meyer agreed that he has to continue to get better.
“He’s still got a ways to go,” he said. “That’s arguably one of the most talented receivers we’ve ever had. It’s consistency and the fight and those kinds of things because when he does it, it’s fun to watch. Very talented guy.”
I only saw him 1 times try to catch the ball with his body rather than his hands. THAT is a positive development for him. It looks like he’s gotten stronger with his body and his hands and that can only be a big plus for a guy his size. If his technical skills can match his physical skills he’ll make people talk about Ben Victor over the next couple years rather than Michael Tomas as a guy who used his talent and ran angry after the catch. Michael Thomas was nasty, nasty mean after he caught the football. That’s what Ben needs.