Jeremiah Smith has spent the last two seasons looking like the standard at wide receiver in college football. But David Pollack isn’t putting the Ohio State star at No. 1.
On “See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack,” the analyst said his pick for the best receiver in the country is Miami sophomore Malachi Toney.
"If you asked me if I could have one guy in the country to play wide receiver for my squad, I would take Malachi Toney," Pollack said.
He was quick to make sure that choice wasn’t a knock on Smith.
"That is not a shot at Jeremiah Smith. I am not insulting him.
I know he's a talent among talents... I love the versatility of a jet sweep guy.
A guy I can hand the football to, and he can do things with it. I love watching Malachi Toney block...
He was the absolute focal point as a true freshman"
Smith’s case is easy to make. He burst onto the scene in 2024 with 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, then backed it up last season with 87 receptions for 1,243 yards and 12 scores. He was especially dangerous in the College Football Playoff, piling up 381 yards and five touchdowns in four games as Ohio State won the national championship.
He also enters this season on the doorstep of Ohio State history. Smith is 43 catches, 311 yards and nine touchdowns away from becoming the Buckeyes’ all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.
Toney, though, has his own argument. He put together a huge freshman season with 109 catches for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns, then added 25 receptions for 241 yards and three scores in the College Football Playoff.
What separates Toney is how many different ways Miami can feature him. The Hurricanes use him in the screen game, hand the ball to him and even line him up at quarterback in wildcat looks.
Last season, he ran 23 times for 113 yards and a touchdown. Smith, by comparison, has nine carries for 68 yards and two touchdowns in his career.
So the Smith-Toney conversation doesn’t come down to one simple answer. Smith brings the rare size and big-play production that make him a nightmare for defenses. Toney brings the kind of versatility that lets an offense build around him in multiple ways.
However you sort them, college football has two receivers who are changing what a superstar at the position can look like.
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