When he has the ball in his hands for Ohio State football, there's no one on the planet who can argue that Jeremiah Smith is one of the best playmakers out there. While he didn't have the kind of game he wanted vs. Texas, it doesn't take away from the fact that a huge sophomore season is coming for him.
On offense, we already know he's going to be a focal point for this team. Against the Longhorns, however, plenty of eyebrows were raised when Smith got some work in as a punt returner for the Buckeyes. On one hand, some people love it, as the thought of him taking a punt back to the house for six sure is exciting.
However, there's also the other side of things that has people concerned with this call from Ryan Day. How many times have we seen standouts get hurt while putting extra work in on special teams? This is why some fans aren't loving this idea at all, as Smith is definitely putting himself at extra risk of getting injured:
Grambling State coach says the quiet part out loud about playing Ohio State
Ryan Day said Jeremiah Smith will continue to get some reps as a punt returner. pic.twitter.com/G96N68DK2d
— The Scarlet and Gray Podcast (@TheSG_Podcast) September 4, 2025
Jeremiah Smith returning punts for Ohio State football feels a bit risky
It's easy to understand why people are so split on this. At the end of the day, however, this is up to Day and Smith. Obviously, the two have talked about him making good decisions when he does take the field for punt returns and for him not to try to do too much.
This could just be a situation where Day feels most comfortable with Smith being out there because he has the most sure hands on the team. Maybe Day has told him only to 'fair catch' the ball unless he sees acres of space in front of him?
Who knows. What we do know is that Smith is still one of the best players on the planet and he's going to want to put on a show against Grambling State this weekend at The Shoe. In the Week 1 win over Texas, he was held to six receptions for 43 yards.
Those are not the kind of numbers you'd expect from Smith, who is no question going to be a Top 5 pick once he leaves Columbus for the NFL Draft. He'll be ready to find the end zone this weekend, but now potentially doing so as a returner is something for everyone to add to their bingo card.