Why Jeremiah Smith could break Ohio State's Heisman drought this year

On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Sooners announced that quarterback John Mateer was undergoing a surgery on his hand that will sideline him for several weeks.

This news came off the heels of Mateer exploding onto the college football landscape and overcoming preseason contenders to win the Heisman trophy.

Without Mateer, the Heisman race has taken a new form yet again, with Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith improving to the second best odds to win the prestigious honor.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the new betting favorite to win the Heisman on FanDuel Sportsbook. He’s +850. But Smith finds himself firmly in the mix behind the best quarterback in the nation right now.

Smith is +1100 to win the Heisman. After a tremendous true freshman campaign with Will Howard, Ohio State’s top receiver has gelled seamlessly with Julian Sayin in the first three games of the year.

Miami quarterback Carson Beck and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore share the same odds as Smith right now.

In just three games, Smith has caught 20 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns. Last season, he caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, paving the way for the Buckeyes to win the National Championship.

And that’s exactly the opportunity in front of America’s most talented receiver right now. Ohio State is just entering their Big Ten schedule. If Smith helps them succeed throughout the fall on their path to defending their national title, he’s going to be hard to fade. Furthermore, Ohio State has a fair share of ranked opponents for Smith to impress voters, especially on November 1 against Penn State and the finale against the Michigan Wolverines.

While there’s no debate that Smith is the best player in all of college football, the Heisman award is typically given to the best quarterback.

That wasn’t the case last year, when do-it-all two-way star Travis Hunter won the Heisman after a stellar career with the Colorado Buffaloes.

And this year’s quarterback class has completely dropped the ball – no pun intended.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning opened as the consensus favorite to win the Heisman this preseason. Now? He’s not even in the top 15 candidates.

Clemson has melted down while Cade Klubnik has flopped. Despite LSU’s record, Garrett Nussmeier has underwhelmed. The list goes on.

If Beck, Moore and Mendoza regress to the mean just like the rest of the quarterbacks in this class, the path for Smith to win the Heisman in his sophomore year is apparent – especially if he continues to lead Ohio State’s offense to new heights against elite teams.