Few people can argue with the fact that Ohio State wideout Jeremiah Smith is a generational talent. He's easily, in our opinion, the best receiver in the country, and he's got Top-5 pick written all over him once the 2027 NFL Draft gets here. Apparently, not everyone sees things that way, which is a complete and total joke.
The one and only Bruce Feldman recently spoke with coaches around the country, and while Smith received a ton of love, there was one take in particular that stood out, and it should have people fuming. That's because an anonymous Big Ten coach threw some shade Smith's way, trying to make it seem like he's not as good as everyone thinks. Come on.
“Not Jeremiah," a Big Ten running backs coach told Feldman when asked who the best player in college football is. "Play Cover-2 over him and you take him out of the game. I think he’s closer to DK Metcalf than Jaxon Smith-Njigba.”
“He’s so much better than everyone else.”
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 3, 2026
We asked coaches, who should be the highest-paid player in college football? Jeremiah Smith was the clear No. 1.
Free story link to @TheAthletic’s coaches survey: https://t.co/1yMRysGo9u pic.twitter.com/8jZGVGjDvV
Jeremiah Smith has been given bulletin-board material to silence the haters this season
Brilliant! Attention defensive coordinators - here's your trick in slowing down an incredible talent like Smith. Hey, Texas and Will Muschamp, you now have the recipe to make sure Smith finishes with three receptions for 26 yards in Week 2. Yup, we've seen enough, Ohio State is going to lose 21-10, and Smith will essentially be shut out.
Yeah, no. If just switching to a Cover 2 defense was enough to slow down Smith, more teams would be on to this and he wouldn't put up video game-type numbers virtually every time he takes the field. During his freshman season, the speedster posted 76 receptions for 1,315 yards, with 15 touchdowns. He followed that up with 87 receptions for 1,243 yards and 12 scores in 2025.
Pretty dang stellar. Now that Smith is entering his final season in college, barring a shocker, he's going to want to remind everyone just how talented he is. A Biletnikoff Award honor would be nice, but Smith is more focused on taking down Michigan and winning a national title. He's, of course, no stranger to either, beating the Wolverines in '25, while winning the natty in '24.
And with this anonymous coach calling him out a bit, it's safe to say he's going to have extra motivation in silencing all of the haters. A quick look online shows that some Ohio State fans are convinced Tony Alford was the one to call out Smith. While we're not going to go down that route, it's worth mentioning since this could add to the drama for The Game come late November.
Jeremiah Smith has six catches for 75 yards in two games against Michigan.
— GBM Wolverine (@GBM_Wolverine) September 3, 2026
He went missing so badly in the second half of the 2024 game that you couldn't find him on a Milk Carton. https://t.co/CBBzIGU7pS
We won't deny that Michigan has had success in slowing down Smith, with his six receptions in two games being a bit telling. Despite that, the idea of him being overrated is silly beyond belief. Ohio State should blow out Ball State in the season-opener, and then the monster showdown vs. Texas will arrive. In that game, look for Smith to put on a show, and leave no doubt that he's one heck of a player, with a bright future in the NFL. The thought of that not being the case is absurd, period.
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