Jeremiah Smith did everything you’d expect from the best receiver in college football last weekend - and somehow still didn’t come away with the top Pro Football Focus grade.
That alone says plenty about how outrageous his run has become. Against Iowa, Smith looked impossible to deal with, stacking up 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns while repeatedly tearing through the Hawkeyes’ defense.
Double teams, triple teams, man coverage - none of it mattered much. When Iowa did leave him one-on-one, he turned those chances into big gains.
And yet, PFF handed the country’s highest receiver grade to someone else. Missouri’s Cayden Lee landed at No. 1 with a 91.1 after finishing with eight catches for 110 yards against Florida. Smith followed right behind with an 89.6.
That’s a strong day by any standard, but it still feels almost absurd to place anyone above Smith right now. He’s playing at a level that makes the grading debate feel more like a curiosity than a real argument.
The numbers over his last two games drive the point home even harder. Smith has 23 receptions for 423 yards and six touchdowns in that stretch. That’s the kind of production that bends a game plan around one player and makes every snap feel tilted.
Ohio State is going to need that version of Smith to keep showing up, because the Buckeyes are just getting into the toughest part of their schedule. The six-week stretch began with the trip to Iowa and continues with games at Indiana, at home against Oregon, on the road at USC, and then finishes with what has become an intriguing matchup against Northwestern.
If Smith keeps producing like this, Ohio State has a real chance to get through that run undefeated, or with just one loss. And if he stays this unguardable, the Buckeyes may not lose again.
In Other News...
Urban Meyer Just Gave Ohio State Fans A New Indiana Debate
Indiana has become one of the more interesting talking points around Ohio States schedule, not just because Curt Cignettis team is off to a 5-0 start and sitting No. 7, but because of how quickly it has climbed into the national conversation. The Hoosiers have clearly made real progress over two seasons, and their rise has forced people around the sport to decide how much credit to give a program that has beaten the teams in front of it while still waiting for the kind of week-to-week grind that defines the Big Ten.
Urban Meyer helped stir that debate by casting doubt on how fully Indianas record should be judged, arguing that games against weaker opponents should not carry the same weight in the evaluation. For Ohio State fans, it is the kind of conversation that always circles back to the same place: whether Indiana is a legitimate threat in the league race, or simply a team whose rsum still needs a bigger test to prove it against the Buckeyes and the rest of the conference elite. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Proved Its National Pull Is Still Different
Ohio States 31-14 win over Iowa was the kind of showcase the program still seems to command without much effort. Even with multiple top-25 games filling the same weekend slate, the Buckeyes trip to CBS pulled the largest audience in college football, a reminder that when Ohio State is in a prominent window, people still tune in.
Jeremiah Smith helped make the afternoon feel even bigger, turning in a huge receiving performance with 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns. It was the latest sign that Ohio States national draw is about more than brand recognition alone, with a receiver already giving the offense the kind of weekly spotlight that tends to travel well beyond Columbus. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Homecoming Could Shape A Huge Recruiting Battle
Ohio States homecoming week is bringing more than just the usual buzz around Saturdays game with Maryland. Fresh off a win over Iowa, the Buckeyes are also setting the stage for a major recruiting weekend, with several top 2028 prospects expected on campus as the program keeps pushing to build out a class that already has five verbal commits.
The headliners in the group are five-star defensive linemen Jamarcus Johnson and Kellan Hall, both among the nations most coveted young players and already drawing multiple scholarship offers. For Ohio State, the chance to host that kind of talent during a home game weekend is a reminder that the battle for future recruiting classes starts well before Signing Day, and this one could become a significant early test of how strong the Buckeyes pull really is. [Read more 🡒]