Meet Jeremiah Smith, the freshman Ohio State WR who is making a big impression

Hartline is the top receiver recruiter in the country. He was a mentor to Marvin Harrison Jr., the No. 4 pick in the NFL draft last spring. He trained current NFL stars Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Chris Olave. Ohio State University senior Emeka Egbuka has caught more than 150 college passes and is expected to be one of the first receivers selected in the 2025 draft.

But Smith? He's something different – even more so than Harrison, whose college career didn't start nearly as quickly. Five games into his time as a Buckeye, the precocious rookie from Miami is at his own level.

The words his teammates use to describe his plays:

“Ridiculous,” offensive lineman Donovan Jackson said.

“Stupid,” said quarterback Will Howard.

With Saturday's road showdown between No. 2 Ohio State and the No. 3 Oregon Ducks, Smith is a potential decision-maker in this game. He ranks second in the Big Ten with six touchdown catches and leads the Buckeyes with seven total touchdowns. Among players with more than 20 receptions, he leads the league with 19.7 yards per catch. He also leads the free world in stunning one-handed catches, making three of them in the last two games.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Jackson said. “You see people go up with one hand and think, 'Oh man, he's not going to come down with that.' With JJ, it's like, “He'll probably handle it.”

College football has a plethora of freshman wide receivers making jaw-dropping plays right now: Ryan Wingo of the Texas Longhorns; Nick Marsh of the Michigan State Spartans; Bryant Wesco Jr. of the Clemson Tigers; Malcolm Simmons and Cam Coleman of the Auburn Tigers. But the two who have jumped to the top of electrifying receivers regardless of age are Alabama Crimson Tide's Ryan Williams and Ohio State's Smith.

Williams also has six TD catches on just 19 receptions this season and is averaging 28.6 yards per catch. He gained national fame for his balletic 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown that scored the game-winning points in Alabama's victory over Georgia on September 28. At age 17 — a fact repeated ad nauseum in Crimson Tide game broadcasts — his upside is incredible.

But Smith is still more prepared to dominate than Williams at the moment. He's a physical specimen – 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, currently 10 pounds heavier than Harrison did last year as a junior at Ohio State. Smith's one-handed touchdown grab against Iowa came about when he blocked Hawkeyes cornerback Deshaun Lee with his left hand, then pushed him aside like a child. Lee is a good player with good defense, but he was 28 pounds heavier in this match.

Smith came to college with a lot of hype — he was the No. 1 recruit in the country according to 247Sports, and the Buckeyes held off every major program in Florida State to sign him. But not every touted rookie is ready to take the field right away – sometimes he's not physically ready, and sometimes the first impression of not being the best player on the field can shake him mentally. The competition can be particularly tough as a receiver at Ohio State University, where the receiver position is so stacked that just breaking into the two-deep position is a challenge.

Smith was different. He enrolled in early January last year, and it didn't take long for stories to come out of Columbus about how good he was.

“General maturity,” head coach Ryan Day said, explaining what put Smith in position to be an immediate impact player. “His physical maturity, he’s big and strong, that’s important. Next is his emotional maturity – he is someone who trains hard every day, he has avoided distractions so far and remains disciplined. He has a great coach in Brian Hartline and a great mentor in Emeka Egbuka, but he also brought a great work ethic and a great mindset.”

In the second quarter against Iowa, Smith had his freshman moment – he caught a slant shot and darted 23 yards, but All-American linebacker Jay Higgins' pursuit on the back caused the ball to go loose. The Hawkeyes recovered the fumble – one of two Ohio State turnovers in the quarter – and the Buckeyes took a disappointing 7-0 lead into halftime. For the first time this season, there may have been a wave of unrest at Ohio Stadium regarding a team expected to win the national title.

There are coaches who would have focused the game plan more on their veterans at this point, but Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly are not among them. On the first possession of the second half, on a third-and-6 dash from their own 43-yard line, Howard loaded up and shot deep down the right side for Smith. He simply ran away from double coverage to haul in the ball for a 53-yard gain.

The next play was his one-handed catch on a fade route for the score. After that, the rest of the game was a stress-free win for Ohio State.

“He has a lot of confidence and we have a lot of confidence in him, so we went right back to him,” Day said.

The Buckeyes expect Smith to start Saturday at Autzen Stadium against an Oregon defense that ranks seventh nationally in pass efficiency allowed. He has caught at least one pass of 25 yards or more in every game, a field-stretching weapon in a game that could be decided by big plays.

Oregon certainly recognizes the challenge of covering Smith. And the Buckeyes recognize the privilege of having him on their team.

Before “Carmen Ohio,” fans flocked to Smith on the field for autographs and photos. He granted everyone's wishes, then sang the song, hit Hartline's kids fives and went to the locker room. There were plenty of stars at Ohio State, but Jeremiah Smith has a chance to be on the Buckeyes' all-time short list over the next two and a half seasons.