Ohio State Receiver Notebook: 'We're all trying to get him out of his comfort zone'

Jeremiah Smith Growing As A Leader

Last year, receiver Jeremiah Smith was the first-ever true freshman to be named Iron Buckeye. The Iron Buckeye is an award given to just a small handful of players each year for their consistent work in the weight room. Smith was an Iron Buckeye this winter as well.

Ever since he arrived, Jeremiah Smith has been setting an example. He then eventually started leading by it.

On Monday, Ohio State offensive coordinator and receivers coach Brian Hartline was asked how Smith has grown as a leader.

“Well, I would say he, originally as a leader, he’s a by-example type of young man,” Hartline explained. “He’s not gonna say a whole lot, at least in years past. I would say growing would be that way. He’s being a little more outspoken. I think he’s speaking more in the receiver room. And I would say just even conversations that we have, definitely just feel more and more intellect and football IQ and all that’s just growing.”

Growing year by year is natural, but Smith’s freshman season was anything but natural. He made a statement with his 1,315 yards receiving and 15 touchdown catches last year as a true freshman. The numbers did the talking last year. This year, Hartline wants to hear Smith be a more vocal leader.

“He’s just another year older, another year of improvement, so he’s growing that way,” Hartline said. “But I would say probably a little more outspoken than he was when he first walked in — since when he walked in it was zero. So it’s definitely a little more than that. He’s doing a good job of always leading by example. But we’re all trying to get him out of his comfort zone and see if he can make an impact on some of his peers from a communication standpoint.”

Slot Machines

Redshirt sophomore slot receivers Brandon Inniss and Bryson Rodgers are going to have larger roles in the offense this season thanks to the graduation of Emeka Egbuka. Inniss played the fourth-most snaps among the receivers last year, and Rodgers played the fifth-most. But neither played as much as they’re about to this season.

Their continued development is key, and Brian Hartline is happy with the way things are currently going.

“I think Brandon and Bryson are doing a great job playing in the slot,” he said. “I think that they just wanna keep growing from an experience standpoint. You can’t be put in enough situations that mimic a game-like environment. So trying to find ways to do that, so they feel like they’re getting more and more game reps.”

Both players are scheduled to take part in Ohio State’s Pro Day on Wednesday, catching passes for quarterback Will Howard.

Who they’ll be catching passes from this season, however, is still yet to be determined. And while they will catch most of their passes from the slot, they will have to move around a bit because Hartline likes to put both Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate in the slot at times looking for advantageous matchups.

“I mean, that’s kind of their primary spot, but everybody has a secondary spot, right?,” Hartline explained. “At the end of the day, like we’ve done here at Ohio State receiver-wise, best players play. And when guys go down, I don’t care where you primarily are playing, but if we have an outside guy go down, you better be able to go out there and play some football. So those guys know that, they believe in that, and they’re on their own path.”

Freshmen Straining For The Standard

Brian Hartline signed four receivers in the 2025 recruiting class. Quincy Porter, De’zie Jones, Phillip Bell, and Bodpegn Miller are all on campus and getting the kind of head-start that benefits all players.

The Buckeyes have their fifth practice of spring ball on Tuesday, so it is still very early in the freshmen’s respective careers, but so far they are doing what is expected of them.

“How good the younger guys are really will dictate how good the room is, and I think that all four of those guys are doing a really good job of learning the offense culturally, doing a great job of doing what is expected,” Hartline said. “They’re studying, they’re doing a good job learning the plays. We’re gonna have mistakes, we know that, but there’s a lot of care from the young guys.”

Spring practice is one of the benefits of enrolling early, but it is just one part of the process. The winter workouts are key, but so is just being in the football building and having the ability to get in the kind of extra work that enhances the day-to-day development.

“I think Phillip Bell, and Dez Jones, and Quincy Porter, and Bodpegn Miller, really have done a good job putting in extra work, trying to get caught up, trying to hold the standard of the room,” Hartline said.

“And the standard being in spring, like, hey, we’re gonna make mistakes, but let’s make that mistake once and continue to learn. And so those guys have bought into that. They’re finish, they’re strain, their hard work on the field is showing up. And when you catch them on it, and they didn’t do it, they understand they were wrong. So I’m really encouraged by those young guys.”