Jeremiah Smith keeps getting treated like a generational star because, frankly, that’s how people around college football see him.
Ohio State’s receiver already built the résumé last season, when the Buckeyes won the national championship and Smith posted 19 catches for 381 yards and five touchdowns during the four-game playoff run in 2024. Even in a shorter CFP stay in 2025, he still flashed like the sport’s top weapon. Against Miami, Smith hauled in seven passes for 157 yards and a touchdown, though Ohio State’s inability to block on a wide receiver screen pass may have cost the Buckeyes the game.
Now, heading into this season, he’s right back in the conversation as the best player in the country. Joel Klatt made that case loudly on The Joel Klatt Show, and he didn’t exactly leave much room for debate.
"Jeremiah Smith is the best player in college football. He was the best player in college football a year ago.
He's 6'3, 225 pounds. Named an Iron Buckeye.
He's physical, he's fast, he's great catching the football. He's great.
He's got amazing hands, he's a technician. He's got 29 total touchdowns in just 29 career games.
And I'm telling you right now: if you watch the film, Julian Sayin left four, five, six touchdowns on the board, and almost all of them were to Jeremiah Smith."
That’s the heart of the argument: Smith is too complete, too dangerous, and too hard to cover for defenses to breathe easy. The numbers support it, too.
He averages 15.7 yards per catch, and Ohio State keeps feeding him regardless of coverage. That kind of usage says plenty about how the Buckeyes view him.
Still, there’s one part of the equation that has to improve if Smith is going to keep stacking up monster numbers. The offensive line has to hold up.
Against Indiana and Miami in the final two games of the year, Smith put up big production, but he could have done even more if Julian Sayin had more time. Sayin was sacked 10 times across those two games, and the right side of the line was a problem. Tegra Tshabola is gone, Phillip Daniels has been put on notice, and that unit is being treated as the most important one on the roster.
If Ohio State protects better against top competition, Smith’s ceiling gets even crazier. He’s already one of the preseason favorites for the Heisman Trophy, and even an ordinary season would put him in range to break every receiving record in Ohio State history.
Sayin has said he’ll be ready to scramble more. Smith has promised to crush his opponents this season. The Buckeyes’ offensive line is the group that has to make both of those things possible.
In Other News...
Ohio State Freshman RB Suddenly Has An Early Camp Problem
A few days into fall camp, Ohio State already has a small early wrinkle in its running back room. True freshman Legend Bey was sidelined for the opening day of practice after being suspended for a violation of team rules, leaving the Buckeyes to move forward with other backs while the newcomer watches from the side.
Ryan Day confirmed the suspension but offered no specifics, which leaves Beys status and any immediate path to playing time unsettled. For now, Ohio State can lean on options such as Bo Jackson and Isaiah West, but the situation is a reminder that even before the real competition starts, camp can bring its own off-field complications. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces New Jamier Brown Questions At A Tough Time
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Brown is now back at Huber Heights Wayne High School after that brief stop at Big Walnut, and the school confirmed he is no longer enrolled while declining to say more. For Ohio State, the timing only adds to the questions around a commitment that has been under the microscope, especially with Brian Hartline no longer in place as a recruiter to help steady things. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Closing In On A Huge Quarterback Recruiting Win
The quarterback recruiting trail is heating up for Ohio State, and Christopher Vargas has become the name to watch as the Buckeyes push to land one of the nations most coveted young passers. Regarded as the top quarterback prospect in the 2028 class, Vargas has already made the rounds to several programs, with Ohio State and Penn State emerging as the main schools in the mix. He has drawn attention for his production at St. John's Preparatory School, along with the kind of multi-sport background that often shows up in top quarterback evaluations.
Saturday now looms as the key date in this one, with Vargas set to make his decision and bring an end to the early speculation. For Ohio State, the appeal is obvious: landing a player with his profile this early would be a major statement in the class and a sign that the Buckeyes are winning the kind of head-to-head battles that matter on the recruiting trail. The final call is still ahead, but the sense around this recruitment is that the Buckeyes are in a strong position entering the announcement. [Read more 🡒]