Bucs rookie first-round pick receiver Emeka Egbuka.

No, Emeka Egbuka was not playing for Ohio State when Baker Mayfield planted the flag.

Back in 2017, then Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield became infamous in the Buckeye State when, after the Sooners stomped the Buckeyes in Columbus 31-16, Mayfield planted a Sooners flag into the Ohio Stadium turf.

Mayfield still catches hell for that act. The symbolism thoroughly roiled Buckeyes fans who still grumble about it.

(Buckeyes fans do not like flags planted at their stadium. This past November when Michigan beat Ohio State and planted a Michigan flag at midfield, it sparked an ugly melee that ended with cops pepper-spraying Michigan players, staffers and women sideline reporters.)

So yesterday in his first press conference after signing his rookie contract, Bucs first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka, fully aware of Mayfield’s Ric Flair moment some eight years ago, said there is no issue whatsoever with Mayfield over what he did at Egbuka’s alma mater.

Rather, Egbuka said, he and Mayfield are now brothers in arms fighting side-by-side to win games for the Bucs.

“Not at all,” Egbuka said when asked about friction between with Mayfield’s flag-plant at Ohio State. “You know, we’re grown now, we’re past all that.

“We’re one heartbeat.”

Joe wonders if Mayfield helped brush away whatever image he may have had in the eyes of the former Buckeyes star by taking him out to brunch after Ebuka first came to town. You can tell how Mayfield’s act is still a thing in Ohio because Egbuka knew all about it.

It seemed Egbuka’s biggest concern yesterday was his ability to quickly get used to the Florida heat. It wasn’t July heat out there at One Buc Palace, but it wasn’t remotely cool (until the cloud cover came).

From cool and crisp Washington state, Egbuka talked about constantly staying hydrated. He wasn’t lying. Joe saw Egbuka catch a soft pass and as he was finishing his route, a Bucs staffer handed Egbuka a Gatorade water bottle.

So now it’s time for Mayfield and Egbuka to worry about planting Bucs flags together in that overpriced birdcage in Atlanta.

Emeka Egbuka returning punts. pic.twitter.com/GDU6Zkf89d

— JoeBucsFan (@JoeBucsFan) May 9, 2025