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Analyst predicting All-Pro NFL production from Ohio State WR
Jeremiah Smith was great as a freshman wideout for Ohio State, and that's an understatement.
He caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman, averaging 17.3 yards per catch.
Those numbers don't include his production in the College Football Playoff, where he was a beast. He caught 19 passes for 381 yards and five touchdowns on Ohio State's four playoff games. That included 187 yards and two touchdowns against No. 1 Oregon and then a touchdown in the national championship against Notre Dame.
Smith was great, but he can hypothetically only get better as he gets older. He has a chance to be an all-timer, but Joel Klatt of Fox Sports isn't limiting Smith's greatness to just college football. In fact, Klatt is already predicting many All-Pro seasons for Smith in the NFL.
“He’s got to play two more years of college football which means, in four years, Jeremiah Smith is the best receiver in football. He’s the No. 1 on any team in the NFL,” Klatt told Colin Cowherd (h/t On3). “Smith could be an all-time great, all-time great wide receiver, right. I truly believe he will be a 10-time All-Pro. I know that, like — I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. I don’t want to put too much pressure on this guy.”
Talking about pressure, we know Smith can handle it. He came into Columbus as the consensus No. 1 overall recruit in the country with massive hype, and he did not fail to deliver on his promise in Year 1.
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How Penn State's Transfer Receivers Made an Impact This Summer
Penn State coach James Franklin made one of the most important transfer portal moves nationally this offseason by signing wide receiver Trebor Peña. Peña’s addition completed the Nittany Lions’ revamp of their receivers room that started with the acquisitions of Kyron Hudson from USC and Devonte Ross from Troy. But despite leading the ACC in receptions in 2024, Peña, along with Hudson and Ross, came to Penn State with a perspective that fit the room. Penn State wide receivers coach Marques Hagans is thrilled for the outlook of his new and improved position group. “I think that [Peña’s] a really good addition, and the leadership and experience that he has is invaluable,” Hagans said in June. “And I think he’s joined the room, not in a way from an ego standpoint, of like, 'this is what I’ve done.' It’s like, ‘What do you guys need me to do?’ Kyron has been the same way, and Devonte, and I think they’re starting to find their own way throughout the team and earn respect.” Added quarterback Drew Allar, "They've been great for our room. One thing about all of them is, they came in and put their head down and worked. They were not coming in entitled to anything. They earned everybody's respect, from the players' standpoint, on the offensive side of the ball, the defensive side of the ball and from the coaching staff. Those guys will put their head down and work and they're unselfish and that sort of way." Penn State signed Hudson and Ross from the winter portal window in 2024, and while it only lasts 20 days, it is far lengthier than the spring portal in which Peña signed. The spring portal is open for just 10 days, which leaves a hectic situation for both the coaches and players who need to find the right fits. Franklin had connections at Syracuse that were able to give them honest answers about the sixth-year receiver. “We knew guys at Syracuse that we could trust and get honest answers from,” Hagans said. “Just verification of people saying the same things, which, okay, everybody’s not going to make up lies. So that kind of condensed a seven-window period that almost feels like he had an establishment of like a few months, and that helped.” Regardless of the time, Peña seemed to know what he wanted when he entered the portal. Hagans said that Peña communicated, “This is what I’m looking for coach, and I want to make sure I find it.” He compared Penn State to another school or two and it didn’t take long for him to commit. His teammates Hudson and Ross did the same. “I think he knew right away when he went into the portal, what he was looking for,” Hagans said. “I think he looked at a couple places, and I think he knew right away what he wanted to do and he didn’t want to waste a lot of time. You like kids like that, who know what they’re looking for and not about all this other stuff.” “Kyron and Devonte were very similar,” Hagans said. “It wasn’t a big recruiting thing. More of like, ‘I want to see all this stuff, I know what I want, these are the three or four places I’m looking at.’ And when they knew, they pulled the trigger and made it happen. Very, very thorough process by them, but also very quick to a point, because they know that they’re working against time.” What comes with a completely new receiver room is adjustments for both the wideouts and the quarterback. Penn State starter Drew Allar has continued to gel and build chemistry with his new receivers with constant reps through the offseason. “I think Drew does a great job of just telling the guys what he wants, but also telling the guys what he sees,” Hagans said. “And I think when that continues to happen, I think now these guys are building chemistry at a high level. There’s a lot of different moving pieces… I think he’s doing a really good job of bringing it all together. “It’s like dating, right? You don’t like somebody and get married to them. You have to go on dates. You have to get to know them. And it’s the same thing from quarterback to receivers. We’re bringing this guy in to throw him the ball, but you’re not just going to roll out against Nevada and be great at it. You got to practice, you got to have time and you got to build that rapport. Drew might be thinking this, the wide receiver might be thinking that. Okay, well, let's sit down and let’s watch it.” What allowed Franklin to retool the receivers room was Allar’s leadership skills. He communicates well with his receivers and is assertive when improvement is needed. And he’s doing it all with a smile. “Drew’s a really good leader,” Hagans said. “I think he doesn’t get enough credit for the leader that he is, but he does a great job of communicating on and off the field. And the one thing I would say, you see him smiling a lot more this year. So why? You have to ask him. I think he’s really enjoying it… this will be the best time of these kids' lives.”
Mikey Keene holds off Bryce Underwood longer than expected, and a new defensive star highlight Michigan Hot Takes heading into 2025 season
Cowboys make questionable move amid Micah Parsons stalemate
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
New report suggests Christian Wilkins release related to 'incident' with teammate
There may be more to Christian Wilkins’ recent surprise release from the Las Vegas Raiders. NFL reporter Josina Anderson reported Saturday that "some sources believe an incident involving a teammate may have factored in-part into the Raiders' fatigue and release" of Wilkins. The nature of the incident is not clear. However, many believe the Raiders had a very good reason to move on from Wilkins considering the money they had invested in him. It also suggests the Raiders saw no alternative if they went straight to a release. Wilkins was dumped by the Raiders just one year into a four-year, $110 million deal. The Raiders suggested Wilkins failed to take rehab seriously as he tries to work his way back from a foot injury. Other teams do not appear to have the same concerns about Wilkins as the Raiders did, and he should find a new landing spot fairly easily. That is one of the reasons some suspect there is more to the Raiders’ decision than they are publicly saying.
Rangers Sign Former Stanley Cup Champion to Tryout Agreement
The New York Rangers are adding to their forward depth ahead of their upcoming training camp. The Rangers are entering a new chapter of their organization under new head coach Mike Sullivan. After missing the postseason last year, the organization is trying to rebound and respond accordingly in 2025 and 2026. Former Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary is the latest player to join the new-look Rangers. The veteran forward agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the club and will look to earn an NHL deal with his performance in training camp and the preseason. Sheary is a veteran of 593 NHL games. Originally an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins after completing his collegiate career. Following a year with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he forced his way onto the NHL squad after posting 36 points in his first 30 games of the 2015-2016 season at the AHL level. His debut NHL season went better than ever expected, and he was a key part of the Penguins' lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Sheary's coach at the time, both at the AHL and NHL levels, was Mike Sullivan. Now, he'll get the chance to reunite with the coach under whom he won two championships. In addition to playing for the Penguins, Sheary has played for three other NHL franchises. The Pens dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2018-2019 campaign, but he would return to Pittsburgh the following season at the trade deadline. After his second stint with the Penguins, he joined the Washington Capitals. He played three seasons in Washington, D.C. before landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent the past two years. Over his 593 career games, he's compiled 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. His best NHL season came during the 2016-2017 campaign, his second in the league. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists for 53 points in 61 regular-season games.
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