Jeremiah Smith Named Big Ten Receiver And Freshman Of The Year
Freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith takes home two Big Ten awards in his first season with Ohio State, being named the Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year and the Thompson-Randle Freshman of the Year.
Smith is just the second player to win both awards in the same year, joining Purdueβs Rondale Moore, who did so in 2018.
The hype surrounding Smith when he came to Columbus was extremely high and to live up to those expectations would have been very tough, but he is already proving that it was warranted after a full regular season, being named the best receiver in the Big Ten.
In his first game with the Buckeyes, Smith caught two touchdowns, and continued a streak of catching a touchdown pass every game through the first seven games, breaking freshman Buckeye records set by Cris Carter throughout the season.
His touchdown against Michigan on Saturday was the only time Ohio State was able to find the end zone in the loss.
A Buckeye has now won the Big Ten Receiver of the Year award for three straight years since Marvin Harrison Jr. took home the honors in both 2022 and 2023. Heβs the first Buckeye to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year since C.J. Stroud did so in 2021.
Smith finished the regular season with 57 catches for 934 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 47 rushing yards on four attempts with another score on the ground.