Jeremiah Smith’s start to the season has been so loud that even Nick Saban is reaching for the highest comparison possible.
The former Alabama coach, who joined the Rich Eisen Show on Monday, was asked what he sees in the Ohio State star and whether Smith has the kind of season that could put him in the Heisman Trophy conversation. Saban laughed off the Heisman part, but he had plenty to say about the player himself.
Smith is coming off a 217-yard, four-touchdown performance against Illinois, and he has quickly become the kind of weapon defenses have to account for on every snap. He is widely viewed as the best player in college football, and his production has people wondering just how far his season can go.
Saban said that when he coached Julio Jones, he believed Jones was a one-of-a-kind player. Then Smith came along and gave him another name to put in that rare category.
According to Saban, Smith reminds him a lot of Jones because the two can do many of the same things. Both are physically imposing, both can move like slot receivers, both have nearly perfect hands and both are true students of the game.
That comparison is an easy one to understand, and at this point it has become almost cliché because it fits so well. If there is a player to use as the benchmark, Julio Jones is about as strong a choice as it gets.
What Ohio State is seeing in Columbus right now is something special, the kind of run that feels like it only comes around once. Smith looks capable of carrying the Buckeyes, and maybe even carrying them through the College Football Playoffs.
And with the defense where it is, Ohio State needs every bit of that. If Smith keeps playing at this level, the Buckeyes are going to be a tough team to handle the rest of the way.
In Other News...
Ohio State Heads To Iowa With Two Starters Suddenly In Doubt
Ohio State heads to Iowa with a little more uncertainty than it likely wanted this week, as two starters showed up on the availability report as questionable. Jay Timmons is working back from a hamstring injury, while Phillip Daniels remains sidelined after an earlier injury, leaving the Buckeyes with some real late-week questions as they prepare for a tough road test.
There is at least one encouraging note for the defense, though, with defensive end Zion Grady cleared to return after missing two games. Iowa, meanwhile, will be short a starter of its own, with safety Tyler Brown ruled out as he continues to recover, so both teams are heading into the matchup with some moving parts still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Smith Just Forced An Ohio State Greatness Debate
Jeremiah Smiths record-setting afternoon against Illinois gave Ohio State something bigger than a win to talk about. The freshman hauled in 12 catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns, a line that immediately pushed his name into a conversation that Buckeye fans know is never casual: where he already stacks up among the great wideouts to wear the scarlet and gray.
Jeremiah Smiths physical tools and production have drawn praise from analysts and former players alike, and the early rsum is starting to look the part of a legacy candidate. The debate now carries into the next stretch of the schedule, where more big games will help determine whether this was a dazzling milestone or the start of a case for the top spot in Ohio State receiver history. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces One Big Roster Question Entering Dieblers Third Season
Ohio States annual media day offered the first real look at Jake Diebler entering his third season, and the Buckeyes came away sounding encouraged about what this roster can become. With six returning players and nine newcomers, the mix is still coming together, but Diebler pointed to the teams size, depth and a non-conference schedule that should give the group an early measuring stick after a week of practice.
What remains unsettled is how quickly all of those pieces will fit, especially with exhibition games on the horizon and the regular season set to start Nov. 2. The Buckeyes have plenty of new faces to sort through and enough talent to make the early weeks interesting, but the next stretch will reveal whether the rosters promise can translate into something more defined once the games begin to matter. [Read more 🡒]