'Just A Freshman,' Jeremiah Smith Sure Not Acting Like It

Friday afternoon was the first time Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith met with reporters since he arrived on campus in January, and if you didn’t know he was a freshman, you never would’ve suspected it.

But everybody does know he is a freshman because what he’s already doing isn’t typical of an 18-year old.

Smith was the No. 1 recruit in the nation and expectations have only grown since then. He was outstanding in the spring and continues to dazzle in fall camp. He lost his Black Stripe earlier than any freshman in OSU history. Was the first freshman to earn Iron Buckeye status in the weight room. And looks to be a day-one starter when Ohio State kicks off against Akron at the end of the month.

There haven’t been many Buckeye freshmen saddled with the kind of immediate expectations that Smith is currently burdened with. Andy Katzenmoyer and Orlando Pace could probably share some words of advice.

The good news for Jeremiah Smith (and Buckeye fans) is that he isn’t caught up in anything other than getting better every day. He also recognizes that he’s still a young guy, even if those on the outside have already dismissed that fact.

“Camp has been going very well for me right now,” Smith said on Friday. “I’m still learning, just a freshman.”

Just a freshman.

Smith is listening to his coaches and teammates and putting their words of advice to good use. One of the benefits of choosing Ohio State is that Smith can talk with teammates who were also the top players at their respective positions. Players who came in with hype and expectations.

Everybody’s path is different, but expectations always make the road a little more treacherous.

Smith sees the expectations for what they are and puts them in their proper place. After all, no expectation has ever allowed him to defeat one-on-one coverage or get off the line of scrimmage or secure a run-block to spring a teammate.

“I mean, it’s a blessing, but you don’t want that hype to affect you,” he said. “And all this other stuff that’s going around me, I just keep my head down. I just find ways to get better each and every day.”

Is it easy for him to block out the noise?

“Oh, yeah, it’s very easy,” he said.

There are plenty of reasons why Jeremiah Smith is a coach’s dream, and one of them is the ability to reside in a cone of silence from the outside world. He sees it, he knows about it, but he’s mature enough to let it wash past him without ever getting drenched.

Smith credits his father Christopher for instilling that maturity in him at an early age.

“Don’t act my age. Act older than my age,” he said of his long-held approach. “A lot of people tell me that I don’t act my age. I’m way beyond my years. I mean, you’ve got to be mature and don’t act like a kid.”

Yeah, Jeremiah Smith may be ‘just a freshman,’ but he’s not just any freshman.

Smith is now in deep waters with the Buckeyes but he’s done more than just stay afloat. Head coach Ryan Day has been purposely holding back when asked about Smith because it’s not fair to put the kind of pressure on a freshman that would come with Day truly speaking his mind.

But that hasn’t stopped everyone outside of the Ohio State football program from hurling expectations upon him like dirty clothes on a treadmill.

Does he embrace those expectations?

“I really don’t,” he said. “I mean, I know it’s a big expectation for me because, you know, No. 1 player in the country coming in and all the hype around me. So, I just try to block out all that stuff and just focus on the main thing. Just the team and our receiver room and the locker room. The first game comes and if I don’t exceed the expectations that y’all have for me, I mean, I don’t really care. I just want to go out there and win the game. That’s it.”