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‘I shouldn’t say this’: President Donald Trump reveals what Ohio State HC Ryan Day told him about Jeremiah Smith

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Brandon Little | Last updated Apr 16, 2025 4:04 PM ET

Ohio State Buckeyes took their trip to Washington D.C. to visit the White House this week and President Donald Trump. As the National Champions, it was key for the Buckeyes to do this after the run they made in the first expanded College Football Playoff format.

Ohio State’s season could have been after losing to Michigan at the end of the regular season. Instead, the Buckeyes went on to beat Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame.

One thing that Trump revealed while with the team was what Ryan Day told him about Ohio State star WR Jeremiah Smith.

"I shouldn't say this but the coach was giving Jeremiah some major praise backstage," Trump said. "I said, 'What's the future?' and they said, 'We have a guy, [and] he may be the best ever.'"

“He was at a level nobody else has been at, from what I hear. Nobody could stop him, even as a freshman.”

High praise from Donald Trump for Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith pic.twitter.com/o939tTlKMX
— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) April 14, 2025

You’ll never hear Day come out and say that publicly just as an effort to keep Smith grounded. Not that he needs to, as the star wide receiver has been rather humble since taking the college football world by storm as a true freshman last year.

Smith caught 76 passes for 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns with the Buckeyes in his first season out of high school. When the lights were the brightest in the College Football Playoff, Smith caught five touchdown passes over the four-game run.

“Jeremiah was the only freshman that was just at a level that few people had ever seen before, according to what I hear,” Trump said. “Nobody could stop him all year even as a freshman.”

You’re doing some good things on the football field if the president is recognizing your talents. The positive for the Buckeyes is that they’ll have two more seasons of Smith in Columbus before he heads to the NFL.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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