Jeremiah Smith highest-rated freshman in EA College Football 25
COLUMBUS — EA Sports has unveiled its first college football video game in 11 years. The company strived to create the most realistic portrayal of the sport possible.
So it’s fitting that Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith — the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 class — is the top-rated freshman in the game.
Smith clocks in at an 84 overall. He’s rated higher than a handful of notable freshmen, such as Georgia cornerback Ellis Robinson IV (83 overall), Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman (81 overall) and a pair of Big Ten quarterbacks, Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola (80 overall) and Ohio State’s own Julian Sayin (79 overall).
The game has Smith as the third-highest rated wideout on the Buckeyes’ roster, behind only Carnell Tate (85 overall) and Emeka Egbuka (93 overall).
Here are the ratings for every Ohio State wide receiver in EA College Football 25:
- Emeka Egubka: 93
- Carnell Tate: 85
- Jeremiah Smith: 84
- Brandon Inniss: 78
- Jayden Ballard: 78
- Bryson Rodgers: 73
- Kojo Antwi: 72
- *Neo Flowers: 72
*NOTE: Neo Flowers is a fictional character who fills out an eight-man Ohio State wide receiving corps in the game. True freshman receiver Mylan Graham is notably not in the game, at least at the moment.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Smith is coming off a prolific career at Chaminade-Madonna, where he really turned heads with a 20-touchdown junior season while winning a Florida state title. He’s a smooth route runner with advanced ball skills. Smith can make catches in traffic and do some damage after the catch. He’s a prototypical X receiver.
The humble and quiet Smith is so talented that sometimes he does the right thing without even knowing why it’s the right thing, Ohio State wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator Brian Hartline explained this spring.
“I love the way he lives,” Hartline said of Smith earlier this offseason. “I love the way he approaches things, the questions he asks. I love the way he makes mistakes and then corrects mistakes. It’s very veteran-like.”
Smith has already broken the internet a few times in his short stay at Ohio State. He “Mossed” sophomore cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. and beat senior corner Denzel Burke downfield in single coverage on Student Appreciation Day. Then, a week later, he hauled in an eyebrow-raising, one-handed and toe-tapping touchdown catch during spring practice.
Smith became the first Ohio State freshman to ever shed his black stripe in only four practices. His play is demanding game snaps.
“I feel like Jeremiah, he’s a different caliber,” Buckeyes sophomore wideout Brandon Inniss said this spring. “When you watch him and how smooth he is, the physical ability he brings to the game, I feel like he has to play.
“Some way, he has to play because he’ll better the team.”
