COLUMBUS, Ohio – Austin Mack stood on the Ohio Stadium turf surrounded by hundreds of adoring fans.

As the marching band played the "Buckeye Battle Cry," the scarlet-and-gray-clad faithful celebrated as if they’d just witnessed a win over archrival Michigan. Mack’s grin told a similar story, a conquistador triumphantly basking in the glow of victory.

Instead, it was a glorified practice. But Mack’s Ohio State debut came in front of a crowd of 100,189, establishing a national spring game record.

Welcome to the big time.

"It was a great experience to play in front of all these fans," Mack said. "I’m happy to be a Buckeye."

The Fort Wayne native finished with three catches for 22 yards.

"He’s a great receiver, a great up-and-comer," defensive back Marshon Lattimore said. "He has a lot to work on, but he goes up and gets the ball. He catches everything that’s thrown to him. I try to stop that as much as I can, but he’s a great receiver."

A major void was left in the Ohio State offense when star receiver Michael Thomas announced he would forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft.

Thomas, a possible first-round pick, led the team with 56 catches for 781 yards and 9 touchdowns last season. He had at least one catch in the final 29 games of his career, evolving into the Buckeyes’ Mr. Reliable.

Enter Mack as the replacement, and he’s not afraid to let others know.

When he enrolled in the winter, Mack told quarterback J.T. Barrett that he would be taking over for his former favorite target.

"In our offense at X (receiver), you’ve got to be a Mike Thomas, you’ve got to be a dog," Barrett said. "There’s a reason why his Twitter handle is @CantGuardMike. That wasn’t an accident, it was on purpose. So it’s one of those deals of go get a spot, because in the spring that’s when you go win a job."

Urban Meyer hasn’t anointed Mack as the Buckeyes’ next NFL receiver. But he spent a bulk of the spring praising the former Bishop Luers standout.

Mack was the first freshman to have the black stripe removed from his helmet, signifying that he was officially a Buckeye. And it took all of seven practices, earlier than any other previous freshman since Meyer took over at Ohio State in 2012.

"Austin Mack is going to play next year," Meyer said.

"If you play receiver at Ohio State, you have to start in the National Football League," he added.

No pressure.

It’s been quite a journey for the one-time scrawny PAL football star who made an early impression in Fort Wayne. But no one’s imagination quite reached college football’s biggest stage.

"I did not imagine this was the path he would be taking. I had no idea," said Shannon Mack, Austin’s mother. "I just wanted him to be active. I think it’s great, very exciting."

She, along with the rest of Austin’s family, and dozens of Fort Wayne natives made the 2½-hour drive to Columbus to partake in the festivities.

"It’s really crazy. It was a great opportunity for me to enroll early and go through spring practice," Mack said. "I still have a lot more to do to get better. I haven’t done anything yet. I still need to keep working hard and get myself in position to where Coach Meyer trusts me to be able to play on this field."