The Ohio State football program won the national championship because they were a great team full of great players. Their guys were simply better than the guys they played in the College Football Playoff. That was on display during their four-game run to the national title.
Their best offensive player and best overall player was freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith. Smith put up some huge numbers during the CFP. He had 19 catches for 381 yards and five touchdowns in that four-game CFP run. That includes a one-catch-for-three-yards performance in the Cotton Bowl.
Quite frankly, his presence was one of the big reasons for Ohio State's success on offense. Without him, the Buckeyes wouldn't have been able to drop 83 points combined against Tennessee and Oregon. He's a generational talent. One pundit doesn't think he is.
Pundit discredits Ohio State football player Jeremiah Smith
Speaking on the Ultimate College Football Show, Gerald Dixon says he doesn't think there is anything generational about him.
Is Jeremiah Smith a generational talent? @CoachGVDixon says not so fast... 😳 pic.twitter.com/ACuEDmWQXn
— 247Sports (@247Sports) February 4, 2025
One thing that he said was more ludicrous than his previous statements. "I've seen Jeremiah Smith get caught from behind." When has Smith gotten caught from behind? Social media users went back through the tape and couldn't find one instance of that, and neither could I.
Smith is clearly a generational talent. He has shown that he can take the ceiling off a defense. There is a reason that multiple other programs are tampering and trying to pry him away from the Ohio State Buckeyes. You don't do that with players who aren't generational.
As a true freshman, Smith broke every freshman receiving record at Ohio State. He was the ultimate weapon. The scary thing is that he is only going to get better. It wouldn't be surprising to see him walk out of Ohio State as the all-time leading receiver once he's finished in Columbus.
No matter who the starting quarterback is next season, they will have perhaps the best weapon in all of college football to throw to. Smith already looks like the best receiver to come through Ohio State in the last 15 years, and there have been a lot of great ones in that time.