Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith keeps stacking up honors, and the latest one puts him in the running for one of college football’s biggest individual prizes.
The Buckeyes wide receiver was named a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Award on Wednesday, adding another line to a season that already has him sitting near the top of the national leaderboard. The award goes to the collegiate American football player of the year and is the fourth-oldest college football award in the country.
Smith heads into Week 11 with 69 catches for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns in the 2026 season. He’s averaging 17.4 yards per reception and 133.3 receiving yards per game, production that has him leading the nation in touchdown receptions while ranking second in receiving yards and receiving yards per game.
The recognition is nothing new for Smith. Earlier this season, he was named The Associated Press national player of the week in college football, and he also picked up Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors twice. According to Ohio State Athletics, Smith is the only Buckeyes receiver and the second receiver in Big Ten history to post three 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
This is the second straight year Smith has been named a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Award.
Ohio State has had its share of success with the honor over the years. Since the award was first handed out in 1967, Buckeyes players have won it four times: Archie Griffin in 1974 and 1975, Eddie George in 1996 and Troy Smith in 2006. Griffin is one of three players to win the award twice.
The 21st-ranked Buckeyes, 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play, return home Saturday to face Northwestern. It will be the first meeting between the teams at Ohio Stadium in the Ryan Day era and the first time the matchup has been played there in a decade. The game will also be Ohio State’s Military Appreciation Game.
Ohio State’s remaining schedule includes:
- Sept.
5 - Ball State (56-3, W)
- Sept. 12 - at Texas (24-23, L)
- Sept. 19 - vs. Kent State (59-3, W)
- Sept. 26 - vs. Illinois (49-12, W)
- Oct. 3 - at Iowa (31-14, W)
- Oct. 10 - vs.
Maryland (45-16, W)
- Oct. 17 - at Indiana (19-15, W)
- Oct. 24 - Bye Week
- Oct. 31 - at USC (30-18, L)
- Nov. 7 - vs.
Oregon (41-28, L)
- Nov. 14 - vs.
Northwestern (Noon, FOX)
- Nov. 21 - at Nebraska (TBD)
- Nov. 28 - vs. Michigan (Noon, FOX)
In Other News...
Ohio State Finally Made A Change Fans Saw Coming
Ohio State made the kind of midseason move fans had been expecting after a string of special teams breakdowns kept showing up at the worst possible moments. Robby Discher was fired after nine games, with the Buckeyes issues on that phase of the game becoming harder to ignore as penalties and momentum-swinging mistakes piled up in recent losses.
Ryan Day said there had simply been too many detrimental plays to keep things as they were, and the staff is now reshuffling responsibilities to finish the season. Senior analyst Rob Keys will oversee special teams the rest of the way, with other coaches taking on specific units, a sign that Ohio State is trying to steady one of the most frustrating parts of its operation before it costs them again. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Backup Quarterback Problem Just Got More Complicated
Justyn Martins role at Ohio State has become one of those quiet depth-chart stories that can suddenly matter a lot more than anyone expected. The fifth-year senior has not played this season, but with Julian Sayin sidelined, Martin is now listed as the third-string quarterback, and Ryan Day has already made it clear he likes what he has seen from him in practice. For a team that always has to be ready at quarterback, that kind of behind-the-scenes trust can carry real weight.
Martin has kept working alongside Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair, staying in the mix while the Buckeyes sort through their options. He has spoken confidently about the group and noted that Sayin remains supportive during his recovery, which only adds another layer to a situation that is still unfolding. For now, Martin is waiting for a chance that has not come yet, but the fact that Day is even floating game usage suggests Ohio States backup picture is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
Chip Kelly Is Suddenly Back In Ohio State's Offensive Picture
Chip Kellys name is back in the mix around Ohio State, and not just as a nostalgic footnote. The former Buckeyes assistant, now at Northwestern, has surfaced in conversations about offensive play-caller openings, with his past tie to the program giving the idea immediate credibility. For a staff that is always under the microscope, any movement on the offensive side tends to draw attention quickly, especially when it involves a coach with Kellys rsum and familiarity with the Ohio State environment.
The broader picture is still fluid, though, because Nebraska is also being linked to Kelly and may try to sell him on the stature of the job rather than a simple financial pitch. For Ohio State, the possibility seems tied to whether current staff changes open a path, which is why the chatter feels more like a developing subplot than a settled pursuit. Even so, the fact that Kelly is being discussed in that context says plenty about how quickly the Buckeyes offensive landscape can shift. [Read more 🡒]