Plenty Of Cautious And Not-So-Cautious Optimism Regarding Jeremiah Smith

Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has been a popular topic of conversation around the Buckeye football program for more than a while. It started well before he was ever even committed to OSU, but has only picked up steam since he made his pledge to Ohio State in December of 2022.

The superlatives have since been kicked up another seven or eight notches since Smith actually arrived on campus in the winter and began impressing his teammates. Then more people got to see him in action in the spring and were wowed as well. Now fall camp is underway and Smith is again making daily highlights that have seemingly become routine and expected.

Nobody has viewed all of this from a better perspective than Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, but it’s the more cautious perspective that is guiding him when he is asked about his talented true freshman.

“Again, I’m trying not to go down the road too long with him,” Day said of saying too much too soon. “It’s easy to see how talented he is. I think the thing you already recognize, though, is that he’s really good at the no-talent things as well. But I’m going to hold off on comments until he plays his first snap at Ohio State and we’ll go from there.”

Given the daily highlights coming from Smith, how easy will holding off on those comments actually be for Day?

“I’m gonna try,” he said. “I’m gonna try. I again, I don’t want to put too much out there, but he had a great offseason. Did some things that some freshmen haven’t done before in terms of recognition and some of the hard work he’s put in. And you talk about the humility of a young man who’s as talented as he is, it’s special. We’re excited that he’s out there every day. We’re all excited about it. But again, I don’t want to get too far out in front of this one, but he’s got a very bright future ahead of him.”

When players are asked about young teammates, there is often an immediate response along the lines of “So and so is working hard and he’s gonna be really good once he gets his feet under him,” but Smith’s feet have seemingly only ever been right where they need to be.

Back in December, OSU senior cornerback Denzel Burke was asked about Smith and he said he’s heard the hype but wants to see what he looks like in person before expressing any kind of accolades. And then winter workouts and spring practice came and Burke was more than willing to gush about his rookie teammate.

Last week at Big Ten Media Days, Burke was again asked about Smith.

“JJ, he’s like that,” Burke said. “Like, like that, like that. So he’s next up and I’m really excited for his ceiling these next couple of years and what he’s going to bring to the table for us this year too.”

Burke also said that Jeremiah Smith is his favorite receiver to practice against and that he’s got “a little bit” of former OSU great Marvin Harrison in him.

“He’s only a freshman now so imagine what he’s going to be like in this third year,” Burke said. “It’s going to be nuts. Yeah, really excited to have him.”

Burke isn’t the only teammate on the defensive side of the ball who has been impressed by Smith. The play on the field can impress any onlooker, but teammates and coaches are just as impressed with him off the field.

But those plays on the field…

“That kid is just special,” said senior defensive end Jack Sawyer. “I mean, that’s the only word I can use to describe him. Having been in his shoes, meaning being a five-star recruit and having a lot of hype around him coming in, I kind of was like, I just want to see him practice a couple of times and I don’t want him to feel like if he doesn’t play this year or if he didn’t live up to the hype his freshman year — but then I saw him for the first time in the first practice and I’m like, ‘Holy shit, this kid’s good.’ He’s a great young player. He’s got a great future ahead of him. He’s got a great head on his shoulders. Very humble kid. So whatever he gets, he’s earned and he’s worked for, so I’m super excited for him.”

Smith looks like he will be in the starting lineup for the Buckeyes when they open the season against Akron at the end of the month.

And when those games do begin, maybe Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles can finally relax a bit because Smith will finally be making plays against somebody other than the Buckeyes.

“He’s shown right away that he can handle anything you throw at him,” Knowles said of Smith. “And if you put him in a one-on-one situation, even against our best, you’re kind of holding your breath. I know it makes our guys better. Iron sharpens iron. But everything I’ve seen from him, it’s not only great talent, but great maturity.”

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