Why Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith is exceeding already in his freshman year

When it comes to the hype of promising recruits, there wasn’t any player who received more than five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who was ranked as the No. 1 player in the Class of 2024.

Smith, 6’3”, 215-pound receiver at Ohio State, was in line to be the next star-studded wideout for the Buckeyes, joining a long list of talented players that have come and gone over the past few seasons, with many ultimately ending up as first-round picks in the NFL.

However, it was unclear what the true freshman’s role would ultimately be when he stepped onto campus, as Ohio State had returning star Emeka Egbuka, matched with former five-stars Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss leading the room, while also bringing in elite running back Quinshon Judkins to pair with TreVeyon Henderson on the ground.

But, it didn’t take long for Smith to make his mark on campus, as the early enrollee flashed with a number of incredible catches, showcasing his elite potential within the first few weeks of reaching Columbus.

That translated into him earning a starting role for the No. 2 Buckeyes, and Smith has already emerged as the team’s leading receiver through five games, making big play after big play.

Through the first six weeks of the season, Smith has 23 catches for 453 yards and six touchdowns, leading his team in the latter two categories, while Egbuka isn’t far behind with 30 catches for 423 yards and five scores.

More impressively, Smith has a touchdown catch in each of his first five career games, while going for over 70 yards in each contest, winning on deep balls, as well as with yards after the catch.

Touted as potentially the greatest receiver recruit in Ohio State history, Smith has been grateful for the opportunity, noting the long lineage of wideouts that came before him for the Buckeyes.

“Coming to Ohio State and all the receivers that have been here even before I got here, I had no expectation of having the role that I have right now,” Smith said two weeks ago. “I give all the thanks to God and just to be able to be in the position I am in right now.”

Head coach Ryan Day acknowledged the conversation about the five-star being the greatest receiver recruit ever for his program, noting how it’s tough to compare him to other players when given his elite size-speed profile and overall skillset.

“I don’t think it’s crazy for you guys to be talking about it,” Day said earlier this season about Smith’s potential. “I think it’s probably inappropriate for me to talk about in that he’s only played two games and that he’s so young. I think the easy thing to do is to get out in front of ourselves.

If I’m starting to talk too much about that, it’s not a good look and it’s not fair to him. He still has to be young. He’s gotta make his mistakes. He’s gotta grow. I think he’s a hard player to have a comp with because of his size. His explosiveness, his ability to run, his approach. He’s very mature for his age.”

Smith has headlined an elite 2024 receiver class that includes a number of breakout freshman stars such as Alabama’s Ryan Williams, and has found a way to exceed the lofty expectations that were set for him before the five-star even set foot on campus.

He had perhaps his most impressive outing this past weekend, going for four catches, 89 yards and a touchdown against one of the tougher secondaries in the country with the Iowa Hawkeyes. That included this incredible one-handed catch working against man coverage in the end zone, starting a dominant day for the Buckeyes.

Smith has yet another significant challenge ahead of him this weekend, as the Buckeyes take on the No. 3 Oregon Ducks in a battle between the top two teams in the Big Ten, which could have significant implications later in the season.

But, thus far, no challenge has proven to be too tall for the five-star recruit, and he’ll look to show that’s the case yet again on Saturday evening in one of the bigger games of the season.