Ohio State Football Notebook: ‘There’s really nothing that affects him’

Putting the ‘Pro’ In Prototype

As long as Ohio State is playing football, there will be at least one freshman every year that is receiving more than the normal amount of attention. This year that freshman is wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Smith made breathtaking plays in the spring and has continued to do so in fall camp. There hasn’t been a game played yet, so it’s too early to live up to the immense hype that he is receiving. But the one thing that is already settled is that he hasn’t let the hype or attention get to him.

“He handles it like a pro every day,” said quarterback Devin Brown. “There’s really nothing that affects him. He’s just kind of steady on, doesn’t think about anything else. He just loves to play ball.”

Anybody that has attended a practice in the spring or summer can see the on-field potential, but it’s the off-field stuff that has been just as impressive for his teammates.

“He just handles everything like a pro,” Brown said. “For only being a freshman, for how gifted he is, how strong he is, no matter what anybody says about all this hype and all the talent he has, the dude works hard. Works really, really hard.”

That work has also resulted in the elite weight room label of “Iron Buckeye,” which is awarded by strength coach Mickey Marotti to the small handful of players who demonstrate dedication, determination, toughness, leadership, discipline, etc. above all others.

“He’s Iron Buckeye,” Brown said. “That’s never happened as a freshman. The first true freshman to ever do that. That’s just a testament to who he is as a person and who he is as a player. He’s taken a huge step even from the winter, so I can’t wait for him to get on the field.”

No Stress, No Mess

A year ago at this time, Devin Brown was competing with Kyle McCord to be the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback. He was just a redshirt freshman with very little experience, competing against a junior who had actually started a game two years earlier.

The competition went back and forth but McCord eventually won it and kept the job until transferring after the regular season. This year, Brown is again competing for the starting quarterback job, but this time with Kansas State transfer Will Howard.

So how is this year’s camp and quarterback competition different for Brown?

“For me, it’s just different going into my third year of not having to really stress about anything,” Brown said on Tuesday. “I’m just going out there and playing football again. I mean, it’s really no different than last year in terms of just how it all works and how it’s all playing out, but really just no stress. I’m just going out there and playing football.”

Is he more comfortable than he was a year ago?

“Yeah, way more comfortable,” he said. “Being my third year in the offense, I mean, I pretty much know everything inside and out, and so not really having to think too much in the installs. I’m just going out and playing football.”

A Year Older, A Year Better

One year ago, San Diego State transfer Josh Simmons was getting a crash course on being a Buckeye. After spending his true freshman and redshirt freshman seasons at right tackle for the Aztecs, Simmons hit the transfer portal following the spring of 2023 and ended up at Ohio State.

It wasn’t long before his first fall camp at OSU a year ago that he was playing left tackle for the first time in his career. There were growing pains all around, but he improved as the season wore on and enters this year with a ton of talent and momentum.

“Josh Simmons can do some things that most can’t,” head coach Ryan Day said last week. “He’s very, very skilled and talented. We feel like the offseason was a difference maker for him. But time will tell, like a lot of these guys, but I think he’s positioned himself with a good summer to be the best version of himself.”

Pads are finally on for the Buckeyes, which means the physicality will ramp up. The good news is that this will not be a new experience for Simmons, who is a different player than he was a year ago.

“Again, once we get going, we’ll find out, but to think about where he was a year ago, I think we’re light years away from that in understanding scheme, schematics, day-to-day culture, what it takes to be a Buckeye,” Day said. “He’s got a whole year under his belt that way. So we’re gonna need him to play great. I mean, if we’re going to reach our goals, we need him to be a huge contributor and be a big part of what we do.”

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