Tim Tebow: Will Howard 'needs to target' Jeremiah Smith 'early and often' vs. Penn State

Will Howard and Jeremiah Smith’s connection might be the biggest key for Ohio State against Penn State Saturday, according to Tim Tebow.

Yes, Smith is getting a lot of targets and opportunities. But, just throw him the ball even more. At least that’s what Tebow says.

Going into Happy Valley, it’s a good way to quiet down the crowd.

“Well, Jeremiah makes it pretty darn easy,” Tebow said on SportsCenter. “And a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I would compare him to sort of like a Julio Jones. He’s that gifted of a young receiver, and a lot of people want to focus on the one handed catches or the big plays down the field, or the fades in the end zone, where he goes up and he gets it over somebody. 

“And yes, he does all of that, but also he is an incredible route runner, especially as a young freshman. Look at the ways that he’s running stop routes and comebacks and in cuts and dig routes, and the way he’s able to do double moves. It’s not just the big play down the field. Look at ways some of the teams are playing him. They’re backing off and now he’s running double moves on him. This kid is an incredible young receiver that I honestly don’t believe he’s getting the rock enough. I look for him today to have a lot of one on one matchups and I think Will needs to target him early and often.”

As far as that Julio Jones comparison, Tebow told On3 earlier this season that he noticed that in Smith right away.

“I was at practice during fall camp and I was like, what,” Tebow told On3. “Like this is a joke, like, this kid is so gifted. I know this sounds like a lot, and I don’t mean it to be hyperbole, but I remember going against Julio Jones’ (team) freshman year, and I was like this is the first (name) that came to my brain when I watched him. I thought, whoo, that reminds me of Julio. So I was like, dang. 

“And I don’t put a lot of people in Julio’s category. I have very few: him, AJ Green, a couple others. That’s not many, and that’s who I thought of. So (he) still has a lot of room to be able to get to Julio status, but that was the first name I thought of.”

This season, Smith has 35 catches for 623 yards, eight touchdowns and 17.8 yards per catch as a freshman.

As a member of the Class of 2024, Smith was a five-star-plus recruit out of Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 1 wide receiver in the class and the No. 1 overall prospect in the class.