Emeka Egbuka explains how he has tried to instill confidence in Jeremiah Smith

Every future star needs a mentor. At the 2024 Big Ten Media Days, Ohio State senior Emeka Egbuka revealed how he’s provided leadership to freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

“Obviously, I can’t I can’t speak for Jeremiah. But, I know when Chris [Olave] and Garrett [Wilson] and Jaxon [Smith-Njigba] would hype me up, that just gave me such tremendous confidence,” Egbuka said. “Their ability to uplift me did more than they even knew at the time. We try to instill that confidence in the guys.

“College is hard. You go through times where you have doubts and you’re like, ‘Am I cut out for this? Can I do this?’ And just receiving that confidence from someone who you know is not lying to you and is side by side to put the work in with — it’s really encouraging. So, we try to do that for the younger guys. Let them know you know that they’re in the right spot and they’re doing everything the right way. They just gotta continue at it.”

Expectations are high for Jeremiah Smith. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to On3 Industry Rankings. Additionally, he was named the Florida Player of the Year by MaxPreps.

In 14 games as a senior at Chaminade-Madonna Prep, Smith erupted for 88 receptions for 1,376 yards and 19 touchdowns. Smith couldn’t ask for a better mentor than Egbuka, who also understands the pressure of lofty expectations.

Egbuka was a five-star prospect and the No. 1 wide receiver in the Class of 2021. Despite joining a team with a loaded receiver corps, Egbuka instantly made an impact, reeling in Freshman All-American honors from Pro Football Focus.

He hasn’t looked back since, pumping out standout campaigns like clockwork. Last season was no exception. Playing sidekick to Marvin Harrison Jr., Egbuka caught 41 passes for 515 yards and four touchdowns and was named Third-Team All-Big Ten by the conference coaches.

Now, Egbuka will attempt to help Smith replicate his success. Evidently, Egbuka’s mentorship has already been helping the highly-touted freshman.

“To be honest, he’s like that. He’s next up. I’m really excited for his ceiling the next few years and what he’s going to bring to the table for our team this year too,” OSU cornerback Denzel Burke said. “He has a little bit of [Marvin Harrison Jr.] in him, and he’s only a freshman now, so imagine what he’s going to be like in his third year. It’s going to be nuts. But, yeah, I’m really excited to have him.”