Joel Klatt reacts to Jeremiah Smith, Ryan Williams monster performances

Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt could not believe the performances of Ohio State and Alabama’s Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams Saturday night.

Both true freshman wide receivers put on another stellar performance in their respective games. Smith was as good as advertised while Williams shined brightest in the biggest game of the year, so far.

Klatt was ready to put Smith and Williams in the history books.

“Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams are the two best (true freshmen) Wide Receivers I have ever seen…The show they put on tonight in each of their games was special,” Klatt wrote on Twitter.

Smith made it look easy while Williams had a highlight reel catch and the game winning touchdown against Georgia.

In Ohio State’s win over Michigan State, Smith had five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown while also running once for a 19 yards touchdown.

Williams finished his outing with six catches for 177 yards and the game winning touchdown.

Both Smith and Williams were five-star-plus rated prospects, per the On3 Industry ranking. Smith was the No. 1 overall prospect in 2024 while Williams ranked No. 5.

Smith was getting a lot of hype in the offseason, as was Williams. But the Buckeye wideout didn’t expect this big of a role right away.

“Not at all,” Smith said Wednesday after practice. “This is Ohio State. [With] all the receivers that been here and that was here before I got here, I did not have the expectation of having the role that I have right now. I just give all the thanks to God just to be able to be in this position right now.”

As you have probably heard by now, Williams is just 17 years old and should still be playing high school football. He reclassified from the 2025 class and joined Alabama early. 

Kalen DeBoer was able to regain the wide receiver’s commitment after opening things back up following Nick Saban‘s retirement — the first big win on the trail for the head coach.

Now, Smith and Williams will both continue to shine as freshmen and will garner NFL attention over the next few years.

This season, Smith has 19 catches for 364 yards, five touchdowns and 19.2 yards per catch. Williams has 16 catches for 462 yards, five touchdowns and 28.9 yards per catch.