COLUMBUS, Ohio - Jeremiah Smith has spent the season making the Heisman conversation look almost quaint.
The Ohio State receiver already has the kind of tape that gets printed on posters and passed around like evidence. Ten days ago, after he carved up the Iowa secondary, he struck the stiff-arm pose for cameras - the same kind of image that usually launches a full-blown campaign. Caption it however you want: #JeremiahforHeisman.
And honestly, Smith may not need the push.
Entering Saturday’s game against Indiana, FanDuel Sportsbook listed him as a -210 favorite to win the Heisman, a remarkable spot for a receiver in a race that has barely made room for receivers at all. Only four wideouts, plus two-way star Travis Hunter, have ever taken home the award. Smith has spent six weeks bulldozing that history anyway.
The numbers explain why. He ranks second nationally with 48 receptions, 916 receiving yards and 11 touchdown catches, all while ranking tied for 86th in pass snaps played.
His production has come with a twist, too: because Ohio State has blown teams out, he has only 10 fourth-quarter targets. Even with that limitation, he is on pace for 96 catches, about 1,832 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns over 12 games.
If the Heisman were only about great production and work ethic, the race would be close to finished. The Heisman Trust describes the winner as “the outstanding college football player ... whose performance epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.”
Smith checks those boxes, and then some. He earned his third straight “Iron Buckeye” award in March, recognizing Ohio State’s weight room standouts.
But the award rarely comes down to stats alone, and that is where the warning lights start flashing.
Smith’s candidacy leans on more than his own brilliance. It also depends on Ohio State holding up around him.
The Buckeyes’ front seven gave up 200 rushing yards to Illinois last month. Their run game has been uneven, sitting 81st nationally at 4.3 yards per carry despite two MAC opponents in September.
And the team already has one loss, which matters because recent Heisman history has favored winners from elite records.
Since the College Football Playoff began, nine of the 12 Heisman winners played for programs that had at least 11 wins before the award was handed out. The average winner arrived with just 1.3 losses. The Buckeyes already have one.
That is why the next few weeks could matter so much. Ohio State is a 3.5-point road favorite at Indiana, and the fifth-ranked Hoosiers are averaging 221 rushing yards per game.
After that, the schedule can still turn rough if the Buckeyes have to chase games against Oregon or No. 19 USC.
A second loss would change the whole tone of Smith’s case, especially if he shows up in New York with a 10-2 record while an undefeated quarterback candidate - maybe Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr or Miami’s Darian Mensah - is sitting right next to him.
Receivers do win the Heisman, but only with some extra twist. Johnny Rodgers did it at Nebraska in 1972 with seven rushing touchdowns.
Tim Brown did it at Notre Dame in 1987. Desmond Howard followed at Michigan in 1991, starring as both receiver and punt returner.
DeVonta Smith won in 2020 during a pandemic-shortened season, with some rivals, including Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, playing in conferences with fewer games, and Alabama entered Heisman weekend unbeaten.
The modern playoff era tells a similar story. Among the four multi-loss Heisman winners in that span, three were quarterbacks - Lamar Jackson, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels - and the other was Travis Hunter, who played two positions.
Smith does not have that kind of flexibility. He is just a receiver, albeit an extraordinary one.
So yes, Ohio State can keep printing the shirts, sending the stat packets and clipping the highlights from Saturday’s touchdowns against Maryland, when Smith twice shook defenders loose after the catch on long scoring plays. The campaign materials are easy enough to make.
The hard part is making sure the team around him doesn’t get in the way.
In Other News...
Ohio State Just Got A Clear Warning About Indiana's Quarterback
Indianas quarterback has already drawn a detailed scouting report heading into the matchup with Ohio State, and the message is pretty clear: the Buckeyes cannot treat this as a routine Big Ten assignment. Josh Hoover is expected to be the focal point of Indianas offense, with the discussion around him centered less on raw numbers than on the way the Hoosiers can create stress with their play design. The expectation is that Indiana will lean on deep shots and misdirection to test Ohio States discipline and communication.
For the Buckeyes, the bigger concern may be how much of that plan can be disrupted before it gets rolling. The source pointed to defensive approaches other teams have used against Indiana as possible blueprints, which puts the emphasis on preparation and recognition for Ohio States front and secondary. Hoovers ability to move around adds another layer, but the real issue is whether Ohio State can identify the counters fast enough when Indiana starts pushing the ball vertically and changing the picture in front of it. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Finally Gets The Early Test Fans Have Been Waiting For
Indianas narrow win over Nebraska did more than keep the Hoosiers moving forward, it preserved some real weight around their upcoming trip to Columbus. For Ohio State, that means the early stretch finally brings the kind of opponent fans have been waiting to measure this team against, with a conference game that should reveal more than the usual September tune-up.
The Hoosiers are not the same group that rolled through last season, either. They have had to replace star quarterback Fernando Mendoza with Josh Hoover, and that change only adds another layer to a matchup already carrying plenty of interest. For Ohio State, it is the sort of test that can start answering whether the Buckeyes are exactly where they think they are, or still have some proving to do. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces A Right Side Decision Before Indiana
Ohio State got a little breathing room with the bye week, but the right side of its offensive line is still something worth watching before Indiana arrives. Starting right tackle Austin Siereveld sat out the Maryland game with an injury and remains questionable, leaving the Buckeyes in a spot where health and continuity matter almost as much as the matchup itself.
Phillips Daniels is back after nearly a month away and is the next man up if Siereveld is not ready. For a team trying to use the extra time wisely, the week off gives Ohio State a chance to sort through a spot that can quietly shape protection, run-game rhythm and how comfortable the offense feels coming out of the break. [Read more 🡒]