Ohio State Buckeyes receiver Jeremiah Smith has shown more to NFL scouts in two seasons in Columbus than most prospects show over a four-year College Football career. It's unfathomable how good he's been. It's not immeasurable, though.
As Bucknuts' Steve Helwagen notes, Smith can sleepwalk his way through the 2026 College Football season and still end up breaking several Ohio State program records in receiving yards and touchdowns.
"Coming back as a marked man, Smith had a huge season as a sophomore," Helwagen wrote. "... He was a unanimous first-team All-American and was flat out robbed in voting for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which inexplicably went to USC's Makai Lemon ... He has etched his place in the Ohio State record book already and figures to own a lot of records even with a pedestrian season in 2026."
Among the records Smith is within striking distance of that Helwagen listed: 11 100-yard games, the third-most in the OSU record book (Marvin Harrison Jr.'s 15 is the record), 163 catches, the seventh-most, with No. 1 being Emeka Egbuka's 205, 2,558 career yards, currently No. 8, with Michael Jenkins' 2,898 career receiving yards being No. 1, and 27 career touchdown catches, eight off from Chris Olave's record of 35.
Jeremiah Smith has small improvements that will make him the No. 1 pick
Smith came into college out of Chaminade-Madonna (FL) and was expected to be better than Cam Coleman and every other receiver in his class as the No. 1 recruit. There's been a larger-than-expected gap between him and the field. Soon enough, there may be a gap between him and the entire 2027 NFL draft class.
Smith simply needs to run crisper short and intermediate routes. With NFL margins naturally applying pressure, Smith could probably learn that on the fly in the pros. He's been so good and so technically proficient that the only thing you could ask for is more big runs after contact. He'll grow into his frame and probably dominate there too.
If Chris Henry Jr. can make the game easier for Smith, No. 4 could put up his best numbers yet and ensure being taken No. 1 overall in the draft next April. Julian Sayin has merely a few familiar faces, and none with anything close to the rapport he has with Smith.