Brian Hartline praises Jeremiah Smith for his work during Ohio State camp

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receivers coach Brian Hartline praised freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith at Fall Camp. In particular, he noted the work that Smith has put in so far.

Smith is a player who is expected to make his impact felt as a freshman in 2024. In no small part, that’s because of the outstanding way he played during the Spring and how that solid performance has continued in Fall Camp.

“Every guy who comes in, they’re all different and they’re all on their own path,” Brian Hartline said. “Some gotta grow here while others gotta grow there, and the end goal isn’t to start at Ohio State. That’s just one of the goals along the journey.”

Jeremiah Smith is coming to Ohio State as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the top-ranked wide receiver and player overall in that recruiting cycle, only adding to the expectations in front of him.

“So, once you start, then you’ve got to be productive, and then once you’re productive and you have a name, you’ve got to justify that name,” Hartline said. “And then you become a first-round pick, and you’ve got to show you’re worth being a first-round pick.”

Brian Hartline has found plenty of success during his time at Ohio State both recruiting and developing wide receivers. Part of what immediately stands out to Hartline compared to that long history of great wide receiver play is how hard working he’s been.

“The main goal is where we’re at. He has a lot of tools. He works extremely hard, and I will say this. I would say that we’ve never had an Iron Buckeye from Coach Mick as a freshman. I don’t know about ever, or I know definitely since I’ve been here. So, a lot of credit to him where, as far as Jeremiah goes,” Hartline said. “He embodied everything that is a part of that conversation, right? It’s not just lifting numbers, speed numbers. It is the way you carry yourself, the way you train, the way you have the edge to you. It’s all of that. So, he’s the first one that’s ever earned that, and we’re kind of leaving it at that.”

That excellent work ethic is something that head coach Ryan Day has also noticed and praised already.

“He loves it,” Day recently said. “We were up in the training table the other day and said that’s why I came here, to get better, and I’m going against these guys, I’m learning about myself, and I just love his spirit. He’s so competitive. For somebody who’s as talented as he is, first off, he’s strong, he’s powerful, he’s big. But it’s his work ethic, to me, that just jumps out.”

The hope for Ohio State is that Smith can step up and make an impact on the team early in his Ohio State career. That starts with a home game against Akron at the end of August.