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Ohio State Buckeyes WR Jeremiah Smith receives major praise from an unexpected source

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Brandon Little | Last updated Mar 11, 2025 12:48 PM ET

Ohio State had a loaded roster in 2024 and the expectations were sky high for the team. The Buckeyes accomplished winning the big game and it wouldn’t have happened without their youngest star.

Jeremiah Smith’s freshman season in Columbus was as special as it gets. The star wideout caught 76 passes for 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Smith hit the ground running in Columbus and was their top option on offense all season long.

Luckily for Ohio State, they are going to get two more years of Smith before he is eligible to leave for the NFL.

“He’s a generational talent for sure,” Oregon DB Brandon Johnson said recently on “The Sitdown Podcast”. “You don’t see many football players like Jeremiah Smith, you may see someone who has two out of three. You may see someone who is a crisp route runner, and has great hands. Jeremiah Smith has good hands, but you know, he’s definitely a good football player, a good young player. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does in the future. He has all the things you can’t teach.”

Smith burned the Oregon Ducks both times he played them in 2024. In the early season loss, Smith caught nine passes for 100 yards and a touchdown against Oregon. In the College Football Playoff, Smith went off for seven catches and 187 yards. Oregon, like most other teams, had no answer for the Buckeye.

“I think it’s his mixture of size and speed. It is size, speed, and athletic ability. These are all different things,” Johnson said of Smith. “I mean, he can jump out of the gym, but he’s also 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, and he’s as fast as anyone on the field. Now, he may not be the most crisp receiver, but when you have all these other abilities, they can make up for wherever you lack.”

Ohio State was careful with how they used Smith in their spring game last offseason. That was an early sign that Ryan Day and the staff knew he was going to be a major piece to the team in 2024.

Smith was the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2024 and recruiting gurus got that one right by a landslide. Ohio State’s star wideout has a chance to make a lot of history in the next couple of years.

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

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