After hot start, Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith 'staying very hungry'

Jeremiah Smith leads all Ohio State receivers with 11 receptions, 211 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

The true freshman scored twice in his debut against Akron and then found the end zone last weekend against Western Michigan by flipping on the accelerator and leaving five defenders in the dust.

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While Smith’s head-turning production has come against back-to-back MAC opponents, head coach Ryan Day doesn’t feel the need to remind his phenom wideout about what’s ahead on the schedule.

“He’s disciplined,” Day said Tuesday. “This is not somebody who I think needs to be told, ‘Hey, reel it in.’ I mean, he stays very focused. If we recognize anything other, then we’ll address it.

“But he wants to be great. He knows what he wants to get done. I think he would tell you like, ‘This is just the start as well.’ I think he’s always envisioned himself in this role and having an impact like this, right from the jump. We talked about that during the recruiting process.”

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Smith was named to the On3 Preseason Freshman All-American team earlier this summer. Before that, he was a unanimous five-star prospect at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory in Hollywood, Florida. And he was the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

This spring, Smith became the first Ohio State true freshman to ever shed his black stripe in only four practices.

This summer, Smith became the first true freshman in program history to earn the rank of “Iron Buckeye,” according to Buckeyes players and coaches who spoke to the media in preseason. To Ohio State, an “Iron Buckeye” is someone who showcases “unquestionable training, dedication, determination, discipline, toughness and leadership” during winter and summer workouts. Strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti picked 10 of them this year, including Smith.

It’s not even officially fall yet, and Smith is well on his way to having the most prolific season of any freshman Buckeyes wide receiver.

“Although he’s young, I think he’s wise beyond his years, the way that he approaches the game, and so we’ll keep a close eye on it,” Day said of Smith’s mindset. “But right now, he’s staying very hungry.”

Jeremiah Smith is a ‘hard player to have a comp with’

Day joined the Andy & Ari On3 podcast with Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman this week. They naturally discussed Smith and his immediate impact on the Ohio State offense. Day isn’t ready to compare Smith to 2023 Heisman Trophy finalist Marvin Harrison Jr., but he understands why the conversation is already happening.

“I don’t think it’s crazy for you guys to be talking about it,” he said on the podcast. “I think it’s probably inappropriate for me to talk about, in that he’s only played two games and that he’s so young. I think the easy thing to do is to get out in front of ourselves. If I’m starting to talk too much about that, it’s not a good look and it’s not fair to him. He still has to be young. He’s gotta make his mistakes. He’s gotta grow.

“I think he’s a hard player to have a comp with because of his size, his explosiveness, his ability to run, his approach — he’s very mature for his age.”