The best player on the Ohio State football team is Jeremiah Smith. He's just a freshman and is still the most dynamic player that the Buckeyes have on offense. Smith was the best player on the field against Tennesse in the first-round matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday.
In that game, he had six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Quite frankly, he was someone who couldn't be covered in this game. It was clear that he was the best player on the field. Smith just continued what has been a record-breaking season for him.
Smith has broken all of the freshman receiving records for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He set new records in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. On the season, he has 63 catches for 1,037 yards and 12 touchdowns. Yet, that wasn't enough to win a major award.
Ohio State football player Jeremiah Smith gets snubbed for a major award
Smith did not win the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award despite those record-breaking numbers. Instead, the award went to Colin Simmons out of Texas. He is a linebacker who has been very good in his own right, but not nearly as good as Smith has been for Ohio State.
Simmons does have eight sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception. Those are good stats, but he hasn't changed the course of as many games as Smith has. Not getting the ball to Smith is the single biggest reason why the Buckeyes lost to Michigan in the final game of the season.
Make no mistake, Smith got snubbed. He should have won this award. But that doesn't matter much to him. What really matters to him is winning games and continuing his progress through the College Football Playoff. There's a chance these two teams could match up in a semifinal game if they beat Oregon and Arizona State.
If that happens, we're going to find out who the best freshman really is.