Jeremiah Smith Could Become Ohio State's Best-Ever WR Talent (CFB)
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Could Become Ohio State's Best-Ever WR Talent

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Year after year there’s a name (or two, or three) to know out of the Ohio State wide receiver pipeline. An elite prospect funnel that has become one of the NFL’s most targeted hotbeds over the last decade, its newest face on the outside could be the best they’ve ever had come out of the program in its illustrious history. 

The No. 1 overall player in the class of 2024, Jeremiah Smith entered Columbus, as all highly touted recruits do, with lofty expectations. But for Smith, the Opa Locka, Florida native, they were different. Just a few months removed from high school ball, Smith entered his first workouts with the Buckeyes as one of the most physically gifted, fastest, most fluid athletes on the field, regardless of position. He immediately proved that he belonged by quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with, instead of another wide-eyed high school product who can take time to adjust to the major power four level. 

Smith made waves during organized team activities, summer work, and as his freshman campaign approached. Now, it was about showing up when it mattered most, living up to the expectations that parallel not only a five-star recruit but the top-ranked player in the country. 

Stars and rankings simply don’t matter when it comes to strapping up and producing. While many highly touted players have fallen into the shadows of college football over the years, never to be heard from again, Smith has used his freshman campaign as a springboard to establish his foundation as one of the country’s elite. He became a figurehead of college football and a player scouts already have placed near the top of their board for the 2027 NFL Draft.


Whether it’s his ability to win straight up against man coverage, find the soft spots against zone, or simply overpower and dominate a matchup because his athleticism can’t be matched by his opponents, the 6-foot-3 Smith wasted no time in asserting himself as one of the Buckeyes’ elite playmakers this fall with touchdowns in his first seven career games.


What makes Smith so unique is his blend of size, speed, and route-running at his age. He dominated the competition this fall as an 18-year-old and won’t turn 20 until November of his sophomore season next winter. And when combining his physical gifts, production against Big Ten competition, and experience working under WR coach Brian Hartline, you can begin to see why Smith has already entered the conversation as one of the potentially elite prospects in history at the position. Julio Jones, Justin Jefferson, Marvin Harrison Jr, Randy Moss… Smith’s name has already been thrown into that bucket. 

“He's special,” Ohio State HC Ryan Day said of his freshman wideout following Ohio State’s win over Tennessee in the first round of the CFP. “He's a very, very good player, but he's a better person. His work ethic is off the charts. He's tough. Nobody's worked hard in the last three weeks. I mean he did not like losing that game [against Michigan]. He came out with an attitude today with a toughness and a physicality about him.”

Taking a peek at Smith’s tape against the Volunteers, ‘special’ may not be an adjective that suffices for the plays he made in a must-have-it game in a playoff atmosphere.


Nine targets, six catches, over 100 receiving yards, and two trips to paydirt was just another day’s work for Smith.

What Smith has done as a true freshman has been simply remarkable. While grace periods are often awarded to true freshmen as they become accustomed to the rigors of balancing academics and football at the major P4 level, Smith has remained a historic outlier. 

The book has yet to be closed on his freshman campaign with the Oregon Ducks on deck, but if this year is any sign of what’s to come, Ohio State may have its best-ever talent at the position.



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