Ohio State Buckeyes' Jeremiah Smith Given Absurd Heisman Odds

Ohio State Buckeyes' Jeremiah Smith is going to be the best receiver in college football in 2025, and he arguably was the most lethal weapon in the country last season as well. After all, the Texas Longhorns did basically double-teamed the star receiver for their entire CFP battle against the Buckeyes.

For the Ohio State Buckeyes, that could mean they have a Heisman hopeful on their roster. Now, there are still some question marks about who will be throwing him the ball as neither Julian Sayin nor Lincoln Kienholz has been named the opening-day starter, although the former seems primed to win the battle.

As for Smith, he'll be open regardless. Smith went for 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns last season, both of which were among the best in the Big Ten. That's why he's seen as the top Heisman candidate on the Buckeyes.

CBS Sports' Shehan Jeyarajah went through all the candidates for the top contenders and wrote about Smith for the Buckeyes. He used FanDuel Sportsbook odds, which were +1200 at the time of his writing. Smith is the top non-quarterback on Jeyarajah's column.

"Smith is the presumptive best player in college football after exploding for 381 yards and five touchdowns in the College Football Playoff. His workload should only increase in 2025 as the Buckeyes replace numerous key pieces. Quarterback Will Howard, 1,000-yard running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson and 1,000-yard receiver Emeka Egbuka are all gone. Would surprise anyone if Smith manages to push towards the 1,800-yard or 20-touchdown plateaus as an undisputed centerpiece of the offense?" he wrote.

For an award dominated by quarterbacks, being that high on the rankings is telling of Smith's impact. Travis Hunter won the award in 2024, and DeVonta Smith in 2020 was the receiver who won it prior to Hunter. Only two true receivers have won the award since 2000, suggesting how rare it is to have a star of that caliber.