Jeremiah Smith keeps stacking up numbers for Ohio State, and the buzz around his NFL future is only getting louder.
The Buckeyes’ star wideout has been central to everything Ohio State has done this season. Through the year, Smith has put together 44 catches for 823 yards and nine touchdowns, giving the offense a game-changing presence while the defense continues to work through its own issues. He has been nearly impossible to contain, and the production has come with the kind of weekly record-breaking pace that has made him one of the most talked-about players in the country.
That kind of season has already pushed Smith into the center of NFL draft conversations. In Todd McShay’s latest 2027 NFL Mock Draft for Ringer, Smith comes off the board second overall to the Tennessee Titans, with only Texas quarterback Arch Manning going ahead of him.
For Tennessee, the fit would be obvious. The Titans already have former No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward on the roster, and adding Smith would give Ward the kind of explosive target the offense has been missing. Tennessee has struggled again on that side of the ball this season, and Smith would be the kind of talent who could help turn that around fast.
That’s the appeal with Smith: he looks like the rare wide receiver who can reshape a team right away. If the draft played out this way, the Titans would be landing a player who could become the centerpiece of their passing game from day one.
In Other News...
Former Ohio State Coach Brian Hartline Just Took A Brutal First Step Back
Brian Hartlines first months at South Florida had gone smoothly enough, with the former Ohio State offensive coordinator off to a 4-1 start before a stumble at UTSA snapped the momentum. The trip also came with a side note that got plenty of attention, after Hartline made comments about the noise inside the opponents stadium and then had those remarks revisited in a very public way once the game was over.
From Ohio States perspective, Hartlines next chapter is still part of the larger coaching tree story, but the Buckeyes have their own issues to sort out as the schedule rolls on. The offense has had trouble getting the rushing game where it needs to be, and while Hartline is now trying to settle in as a head coach, his rough first step back served as another reminder that the margins get small fast once conference and nonconference tests start to pile up. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Elite Passing Game Is Hiding A Bigger Running Back Issue
Ohio States passing game has been humming along at a level few teams in the country can match, but the ground game is carrying a very different kind of conversation. The Buckeyes sit 81st in rushing yards per attempt, a ranking that stands out for a team with this much offensive firepower and one that has had to lean on a rotating backfield rather than finding a clear weekly answer.
The workload has bounced among Ja'Kobi Jackson, Bo Jackson and Isaiah West, with true freshman Legend Bey also part of the early mix. Beys limited role has drawn attention because of questions around why his touches have thinned out, and while there has been speculation about professionalism concerns, nothing has been officially confirmed. For a team built to pressure defenses in every way, the bigger issue may be less about who is getting the carries and more about whether Ohio State has settled on the right one. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Brings Coaching Drama And A Defense Ohio State Can Exploit
Maryland arrives with plenty of noise around the program, and not much of it has anything to do with what happens between the lines. The uncertainty around Mike Locksleys future has hung over the Terps for a while now, with the athletic director potentially waiting until after the bye week to make a call, and that backdrop only adds to the sense that Ohio State is catching Maryland at a tense moment. At the same time, the offensive side has slipped, with Malik Washingtons play trending down and the Terps searching for steadier footing.
There is still enough on the defensive front to make Maryland worth studying, especially along the line, where a few key pieces can flash and disrupt a game if the rest of the unit holds together. The problem, as Michael Howes pointed out, is that the tackling has not been dependable enough, and those misses have repeatedly undercut the defense. For Ohio State, that creates a familiar sort of opportunity, one that starts with pressure up front and can quickly turn into a longer afternoon for a defense already carrying too much uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]