Those one-handed catches….”It’s hard to believe the catches he makes,” said Ryan Day after this one-hand snare of a touchdown last year against Michigan State. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
As Ohio State begins preseason practice Thursday, the surest of things is that lots of people say Jeremiah Smith is the best college football player in the nation.
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When everyone is talking about Jeremiah Smith, how could the news not get out.
He was the headliner last week at Big Ten Football Media Days and across college football media. If there was a marquee for such things at the Mandalay Beach Convention Center at the south end of the Strip, it would have read: JEREMIAH SMITH: Limited Engagement.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State football and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
In “The City of Lights,” he was the superstar – no matter what he said or didn’t say during his 30 minutes behind the mic. His fantastic freshman season – brought to national light during Ohio State’s run to the national championship – made him known to even casual college football fans.
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Smith starts preseason practice with the Buckeyes on Thursday as a top-five Heisman Trophy candidate on any list of odds you can find. He is the only wide receiver and non-quarterback anywhere near the top 10. A building consensus across college football media is that Smith is the best player in the nation.
Media members, eager to tell a Jeremiah Smith story, watched as name cards were set on interview tables around the third-floor South Seas Ballroom. When Smith’s name was placed, the jockeying to position video cameras and tripods began.
Reporters who made the cross-country flight to cover Ohio State, plus many others there to cover other teams, crowded around Smith’s dais to fire all manner of questions his way. In “America’s Playground,” in the middle of a 100-plus degrees afternoon, the 1,000 square feet around Smith and those who came to ask questions, became his playground.
Not that Smith is suddenly the loquacious, go-to player on the team for the great quote. This wasn’t Deion Sanders holding court. But Smith answered every question thoughtfully, smiled often and was more comfortable in the spotlight than last season. He seemed to enjoy it.
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Still, he’s not the loud kid on the playground, but he would be the first kid to be picked for any game. Obviously, his talent and playmaking ability put him at the top of the list. But his leadership effect is maturing in ways that showed during his half-hour of talking, which, for him, must have felt like a day’s worth of words.
Smith has been praised by coaches as a leader by example, but he’s been challenged to be a vocal leader this season. Performance coach Mickey Marotti is king of the weight room, and he uses that throne to push players like Smith to be vocal leaders.
“Coach Mick’s challenged me a lot to open up and say things,” Smith said. “I’m starting to get more out of my shell, but it’s been a pretty big challenge for me.”
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Everything a football player learns in the classroom, with the football team and in front of the media, is part of their education and the clearing of coming-of-age hurdles.
Smith, however, arrived in Columbus in January of 2024 ahead of the curve in other ways. His work ethic – praised by coaches every time they are asked what makes Smith special – his elite talent and his highly competitive nature came with him to college.
And confidence.
“The way I’m able to get open, just making contested catches over two and three people, that’s really what I feel like separates me,” he said.
Coaches and scouts call those things route running, good hands and high-pointing the ball. Smith does them all with aplomb. The resulting numbers were 76 receptions, 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns.
When Smith was asked about his performance in the semifinal victory over Texas in the Cotton Bowl, he didn’t break off the route early and hide from the truth. He high-pointed that question and addressed his one catch for three yards. The point of the question was can he play a productive game against Texas in the season opener.
“They did a couple things to take me out of the game, but me, Coach [Brian] Hartline and Coach [Ryan] Day just had a conversation about certain things we’re going to do this year for them not to do that,” he said. “It’s definitely going to be a different outcome this year.”
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian doesn’t expect his defense to stop Smith just because it did last time. On Colin Cowherd’s radio show recently, Sarkisian talked about all the danger points of Ohio State’s offense but mentioned Smith by name.
“You’d better know where No. 4 is at all times,” he said. “I do think at the end of the day, A, that’s where your attention needs to be. But, hey, they’ve got really good coaches. He’s going to be moving around. He’s not going to be lining up in one position all the time.”
Triple threat…”He’s probably the best college football player out there. He’s elite.” Michigan Coach Sherrone Moore
As Big Ten Media Days progressed over three days last week, others were asked about Smith. How good is he? How do you contain him?
“He’s probably the best college football player that’s out there – he’s elite,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said. “You’ve got to do everything you can to take the game out of his hands, but it’s going to be hard to do that.”
Indiana’s Curt Cignetti was five-time All-Pro Julio Jones’ wide receiver coach at Alabama. He said Smith is more flexible and a hair faster.
“He’s a freak, he’s a great player,” Cignetti said. “He’s the greatest at that position I’ve seen at that age, and he’s a weapon.”
The hype isn’t just about Smith’s exceptional ability, his one-handed touchdown catches, his work ethic and his will to win. The most remarkable thing: He did it as an 18-year-old freshman.
Day, who coached in the NFL, was asked in what ways Smith will be better as a sophomore.
“Bigger, faster, stronger, more mature, seeing things faster, transitionally in and out of breaks,” he said. “Everything’s going to slow down for him in this next year.”
If those improvements slow football down for Smith, it will speed the game up for every cornerback who tries to cover him. Which begs the question? Could Smith be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL right now? But the NFL rule doesn’t permit drafting players until they have been in college for three years.
“I’m having fun, I’m in college, I’m enjoying life – not in a rush to go to the NFL,” he said. “You’ve got NIL. So I don’t think people are really in a rush to go to the NFL. People are getting blessed with all types of money now.”
Day faced the same questions.
“The rule’s in place for a reason,” he said. “He’s 19 years old, so there’s still a lot of growing that needs to happen, a maturity that has to happen. But, yeah, his talent, it’s pretty remarkable. He’s further along than anybody I’ve ever been around.”
That’s not a secret confined to Vegas or any place else.
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