Ohio State wide receiver and former No. 1 recruit in the country, Jeremiah Smith, and his jaw-dropping abilities have perhaps been the biggest storyline out of Ohio State’s offseason. The message out of Buckeye players and coaches during Big Ten Media Days was no different.
“That kid (Smith) is just special,” defensive end Jack Sawyer said. “Having been in his shoes, being a five-star recruit, and having a lot of hype surrounding him coming in, I was like, ‘I just want to see him practice a couple of times.’… but then I saw him for the first time in the first practice, and I said, ‘Holy s***, this kid is good.’”
Smith, a product out of Chaminade-Madonna prep school in Hollywood, Fla., just outside of Miami, enters Columbus as one of the most highly-touted receiver prospects the Buckeyes have ever had. Smith will hope to follow in the footsteps of highly accomplished ball catchers like Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who each became first-round picks in the NFL Draft.
As much success as the two-time unanimous All-American and Biletnikoff winner Harrison had during his time at Ohio State, he didn’t have much impact on the Buckeyes’ season as a freshman until the last game of the season against Utah.
Smith, on the other hand, isn’t waiting behind the likes of Wilson and Olave, and with his day-one talent, he seemingly has the ability to fit into a starting role as a true freshman. Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke has seen first-hand Smith’s capabilities going up against him in practice.
“He’s like that, like that,” Burke said. “He’s next up, and I’m really excited for his ceiling these next couple of years.”
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day made sure not to get ahead of himself talking about a player who only arrived on campus six months ago but still acknowledged his talent.
“I’m trying not to go down the road too long with him,” Day said. “It’s easy to see how talented he is. I think the thing you already recognize though is that he’s really good at the no talent things as well.”
At least from a talent perspective, Day did not shy away from putting Smith among the many greats the Buckeyes have had at the receiver position in recent years.
“I mean, we’ve had some talented guys before, but he’s right up there; he is,” Day said. ”It’s going to be exciting to see him play.”
While one on one indoor practice reps don’t perfectly correlate to in-game results, a quick browse of Smith’s highlight plays from spring ball makes it easy to understand the prevalent hype surrounding the former No. 1 overall recruit.
Social media moments aside, perhaps no one knows Smith’s progress and abilities both on and off the field better than the teammates and coaches who have spent months as the closest of observers.
As for Sawyer, he is clearly already a believer in Smith’s game.
“He’s a great young player. He’s got a great future ahead of him, he’s got a great head on the shoulders, very humble kid. So whatever he gets, he’s earned and he’s worked for, so I’m super excited for him.”
