Tim Tebow: Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith reminds me of Julio Jones

Jeremiah Smith, who’s already in rarified air as a freshman, received immense praise from Tim Tebow when he compared him to Julio Jones.

A true freshman and 2024’s No. 1 prospect in the On3 Industry, Smith didn’t wait long to make an impact on Ohio State’s offense. When Tebow watched him through the first few games, and even in fall camp, he saw the next version of Julio Jones.

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Yes, that Julio Jones. Smith could be just like him before too long.

“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.”

Whether it’s Jones or AJ Green, as Tebow alluded to, Smith is a special player. In three games this season, Smith has 11 catches for 211 yards, three touchdowns and 19.2 yards per catch.

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.

Even ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit labeled Smith as a wide receiver that could be the best in school history.

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“I mean, I don’t want to get — I don’t want to exaggerate here and say, ‘He’s going to be the best ever,’ but he could be the best that they’ve ever had there,” Herbstreit said, regarding Smith. “This dude is a grown man, 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, and Ryan Day and Chip Kelly said he came in just so polished with his route running, his knowledge of the offense, the way he plays, the way he works, his humility, which is very rare for a high-profile wide receiver.

“But this guy, I think we’ll find out the coming weeks, Oregon, Iowa, that’s when you’re really going to learn how good he is.”

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