As Ohio State football walks into next season with championship expectations in tow, there’s one player who stands above the rest: Jeremiah Smith. The All-Pro wide receiver has earned another big preseason award, coming off a Pro Football Focus Top 10 list of the top players in college football.
Smith has already established himself as one of Ohio State’s best receivers of all time. In his first two years of college, he gained 2,554 yards and scored 27 touchdowns on the receiving end and has an outstanding 92.9 PFF receiving grade. Those numbers have catapulted him to the center of the Buckeyes’ explosive offense and one of the nation’s most-watched prospects.
Smith is now among a group of just 51 individuals to receive dual honors both in the academy and the NFL. He is said to be the second player in the nation to earn PFF’s No. 1 player ranking in back-to-back seasons after Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence. That was an accomplishment that demonstrates his level of proficiency in handling that football combination of speed, strength, route running, and game changing.
Smith could make the 2026 Ohio State football season even more historic. He is closing in on a few big school records: 42 catches back of Emeka Egbuka’s career receptions mark, 340 yards off of Michael Jenkins’ receiving-yard record, and seven touchdowns away from Chris Olave’s all-time receiving-person receiving touchdown mark.
With Smith averaging 5.6 catches per game, he has a fair chance of shattering all three of those records this season. Doing so in just three seasons would bolster his claim as the top wide receiver of all time in Ohio State football history.
Smith will also have the opportunity to play with another highly touted Buckeyes quarterback, Julian Sayin. It’s expected that their tandem play will become one of college football’s most lethal passing duos.
But for Ohio State, it will not be sufficient to win individual awards. The Buckeyes should be looking for another national title, and if they don’t have a big postseason result, it may be considered a disappointment. Columbus could be in line for another record-breaking season with Smith leading the way.
