Smith is already being mentioned among Ohio State wide receiver greats.
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Jeremiah Smith has already lived up to the hype he had coming into Ohio State, and then some. It’s not just the highlight-reel catches and one-handed grans. Smith played his best in big games, and came up with the biggest catch of the season in the National Championship.
Ohio State has become a pipeline for producing wide receivers. It goes all the way back to Cris Carter in the 1980s, and it has continued all the way to Jeremiah Smith.
As college football has become much more pass-centric, wide receivers have feasted. Smith is coming off a season where he hauled in 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. Those are impressive numbers, and they are just the start for Smith.
Considering he has two seasons remaining at Ohio State, the possibilities for Smith are huge. Who knows the numbers the 6-foot-3 pass-catcher can put up if he continues to ascend across the next two seasons. One thing is for sure, though, and it’s the fact that Smith could go down as the greatest wide receiver in Ohio State history.
The crazy thing is, Smith doesn’t even put himself on the Mt. Rushmore of Ohio State wide receivers — at least yet. That speaks to his humble nature and the fact that he may feel he hasn’t accomplished enough to mention himself as one of the four greatest wide receivers in program history.
Just in the last seven seasons, wide receivers among the likes of Terry McLaurin, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Emeka Egbuka have made their marks in Columbus. All of them have a legitimate case to be among the four greatest wide receivers in Ohio State history.
With Smith, his confidence is what will propel him. We’ve heard him make comments about the bad taste he has in his mouth from the Michigan loss in 2024 and how he’s going to make sure it doesn’t happen in both of his next two seasons. Even with a National Championship, Smith is driving for more accomplishments.
His drive for greatness has him on pace to be the greatest wide receiver of all time at Ohio State. He can make catches on deep balls and take short passes for big gains. Smith’s versatility is going to allow offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, another great Ohio State wide receiver himself, to use him in so many ways.
It feels like the sky is the limit for Smith. His potential, even after one All-American season, is through the roof. As long as he keeps ascending the way he has through his first campaign, and Ohio State has elite talent around him, Smith’s numbers are only going to increase throughout his career.
He’s already exceeded the hype he brought to Columbus, and he’s now driving towards being the greatest to ever play the position in Ohio State’s storied history.