Jeremiah Smith draws LeBron James, Percy Harvin comparisons at Ohio State spring game

FOX is broadcasting the Ohio State spring game this afternoon, so there’ll be a ton of commentary regarding Ryan Day and the stars on the Buckeyes.

One of those budding stars is top recruit Jeremiah Smith, a five-star wide receiver who was the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 cycle. Speaking with FOX’s Joel Klatt, Day explained why he believes Smith has a chance to be a special player.

“He’s got a chance to be special. He really does,” Day said. “He’s very mature for his age. You know, physically, the way he runs he runs routes. His approach, discipline. But he’s very, very talented. And I think, sometimes when you’re really talented, you know you don’t have all the discipline or skill because you can really go back in your talent. He’s talented, disciplined and skilled.

“… What we’ve seen this spring has been excellent, and you’ll get a chance to see. He’s not gonna play a ton today. We’re gonna be careful with him. But he’s got a chance to be special.”

Klatt is watching Smith with his own eyes down on the field, and he believes the talent he’s showing as a young player is almost second to none.

“He looks like a guy that’s a fourth year senior. Like that you come down here he’s six — gosh, he’s about 6-3, 6-4, 215 almost sort of 220 pounds,” Klatt explained. “But it’s the ease with which he moves, the fluidity. And from what I’ve seen, from some practices and then on their practice tape, his ability to adjust and make catches in contested areas for a young player is really second to none.”

Brady Quinn and Urban Meyer are in the booth, and Quinn decided to compare Smith to an Ohio legend in LeBron James, a lofty comparison indeed.

“I don’t want this to sound like an overstatement, talking about your Jeremiah Smith. But I live in the south Florida area. I had the chance to go watch him play at shopping at Chaminade-Madonna. And it really reminded me of a guy who was in my class come out high school, Lebron James. That’s how dominant he was,” Quinn said. “That’s how so many years ahead of, I think where most young men are at this age. So I understand what comes along with that statement, but this young man is going to tear up college football my opinion.”

As for Meyer, he went back to a player he coached back at Florida, harkening back to Percy Harvin to try and describe the wide receiver.

“I remember when we got Percy Harvin, you get those kinds of this — college football is about recruiting. When you get a player of that magnitude, of course that’s going to change — the great state of Ohio, that’s going to change your program,” Meyer added. “That’s going to make the head coach’s life a little easier.”

That’s a lot to live up to for Jeremiah Smith, and Buckeyes fans are getting their first taste of a player who could be special on Saturday afternoon.