Jeremiah Smith dropped the first pass thrown his way as a Buckeye. Two years later, he’s the most dangerous receiver in college football. Now, he’s ready for Year 3.

COLUMBUS – It was August 31st in Columbus, with Ohio State opening against Akron, and the most hyped wide receiver recruit in the modern era had just let the ball hit the turf on the very first play that was designed for him.

For a lesser player, that moment lingers. But for Jeremiah Smith, it was over by the next snap, and he never looked back. Smith later scored the Buckeyes’ first touchdown of the season.

JEREMIAH SMITH IS ALREADY A PROBLEM.

The true freshman scores his first career TD early 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/t2yTjOpcqL

— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) August 31, 2024

What followed over the next five months was one of the most stunning freshman campaigns in college football history. His performance was so dominant that it forced an entire sport to recalibrate expectations for true-freshman production. By the time the confetti fell in Atlanta, Smith had rewritten the school’s record book for receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns by a first-year player, capping it all with the play that will live forever in Ohio State lore.

Third down, eleven yards to go. Will Howard drops back and launches it deep. Smith is already gone. The play affectionately became known as 3rd and Jeremiah. That ceiling-rattling, championship-sealing deep ball was the perfect closing statement on a season that began with a drop and ended with Ohio State’s ninth national title. Jeremiah Smith, at just 18 years old, was standing at the center of it.

Smith’s Mentality

The foundation for all of this was laid long before Columbus. Jeremiah Smith grew up in Miami Gardens, Florida. As a seven-year-old, he tried out for a local youth football team and didn’t make the cut. That sting and early rejection became fuel for the youngster. He came back the next year and won the league’s MVP award. Smith’s mentality, even from a young age, is different and is what fuels him today.

Jeremiah Smith furthered that point on Saturday, during his availability, saying, “Despite all the accoldaes, I have the mentality that I’m always going to be the hardest-working player on my team, whether it’s in the league or in high school.”

He went on to Chaminade-Madonna in Hollywood, Florida, one of the country’s premier high school football programs. By his junior year, he caught 58 passes for 1,073 yards and 20 touchdowns in a breakout campaign. Smith also won the FHSAA Class 2A state championship in the 110 and 400-meter hurdles, which tells you everything about his athleticism and the height of his ceiling. Smith later committed to Brian Hartline and Ohio State as a senior after earning All-American Player of the Year honors.

At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, with track speed and hands that NFL scouts were already drooling over as a freshman, Smith’s physically gifted frame and athleticism stand out. Many scouts and analysts project him to be a Top 10 NFL Draft choice if he were eligible this year.

During his freshman season, the sheer volume and quality of his production were extraordinary. Smith hauled in 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and fifteen touchdowns – all program freshman records. He also became Rose Bowl MVP with a historic performance totaling seven catches, 187 yards, and two scores against Oregon.

By the National Championship in January 2025, the world had fully arrived at the Jeremiah Smith conversation as he dominated competition in the College Football Playoff. Standing in Atlanta, with Smith still technically a teenager, I asked about his mindset heading into the biggest game of his life after a season spent turning heads.

His answer was simple: “I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing,” he said, “and dominate the person in front of me.” There was no manufactured bravado from Smith during his response. Instead, just a young man whose performances continued to exceed the expectations and the moment.

YOU DON’T GUARD JEREMIAH SMITH ONE-ON-ONE. 😤 pic.twitter.com/BFH5G8pvzk

— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) January 21, 2025

The 2025 season brought a different kind of test, as opposing defensive coordinators game-planned specifically for him, using brackets, doubles, and other deliberate attempts to take him away. Still, Jeremiah Smith posted 87 receptions for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns in his sophomore year, earning Unanimous All-American honors and his second consecutive Big Ten Receiver of the Year award.

Year 3 Jeremiah Smith

After ending the year with back-to-back losses to Indiana and Miami, Ohio State is ready to rebound in 2026. Jeremiah Smith shouldered the blame for missing a key block leading to the game-changing pick-six from Julian Sayin in the Cotton Bowl. He also credited Keionte Scott for making a great play. The Ohio State WR said he is using it as motivation never to let that happen again and is frequently reminded of the play.

Now the 2026 season is months away, which is the final chapter before the NFL comes calling. Smith returns to Columbus with 163 career receptions, 2,558 receiving yards, and 27 touchdown catches. He’s 20 years old, but what matters most in the fall is what it has always been: his mentality and ability to be the best and dominate whoever lines up in front of him.

Julian Sayin returns under center as a second-year starter who has established chemistry with Smith. Brandon Inniss, transfers Kyle Parker and Devin McCuin, and true freshman Chris Henry Jr. line up alongside him, giving Ohio State a receiver room that will give opposing secondaries nightmares.

Ryan Day’s offense is built on NFL concepts that demand professional-level execution, which is something that enamored Cortez Hankton to join the staff following Brian Hartline’s departure to USF. Hankton also mentioned the strength of the culture at Ohio State, as well as the rich tradition and people in Columbus and the program. Among his praises for the Buckeyes was recognition of the opportunity to coach Jeremiah Smith, calling it a “blessing” and Smith a “generational talent.”

Cortez Hankton on getting to coach Jeremiah Smith:

“It’s a blessing…He’s a generational talent and a fine young man. He yearns to learn football and to be coached.” pic.twitter.com/hvf6RPHjdm

— Blake T. Biscardi (@BlakeBiscardi) March 28, 2026

The Buckeyes have the personnel to be the most feared unit in college football. They are focusing on being more explosive as a unit this season, according to Jeremiah Smith and WR coach Cortez Hankton. Both emphasized yards after the catch for the room after being one of the “worst teams in the country” in that area last year, Smith said.

At the center of it all is Jeremiah Smith, whose standard has never wavered from the moment he looked at his empty hands in that August 2024 opener against Akron. From scoring his first touchdown a few plays later to sealing the National Championship victory, to now leading the wide receiver room, Jeremiah Smith enters his third year with a burning desire to be the best, dominate his opponents, and lead the Buckeyes well while upholding the standard set before him.