The College Football Playoff National Championship Game pits two of the best teams and biggest brands in college football in Ohio State and Notre Dame. The Buckeyes come into the game as a heavy favorite, but Notre Dame has pulled its fair share of upsets and comebacks on the way to the title game.
One of the biggest things at the top of the scouting report for Notre Dame is going to be slowing down star Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Smith is just a true freshman but is already one of the best players in the country and is capable of breaking a game open at any time.
Before the title game, Smith picked out his favorite catch of his first season in college football, via Chris Vannini of The Athletic.
I asked Jeremiah Smith for his best catch of the year
He said the one at Michigan State: pic.twitter.com/9R3WLEJkAF
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) January 20, 2025
That catch against Michigan State is one of a handful of one-handed grabs that Smith had this season. Even as just a freshman, he showed the ability to physically overwhelm defensive backs and dominate them at the catch point even if he had to do it with just one hand.
Smith has had a monster season for this Ohio State football team, catching 71 balls for 1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns across the regular season and the playoffs. He stepped his game up when he needed to in the first two CFP games against Tennessee and Oregon and gave a new dimension to this Ohio State offense. Smith finished with six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns against the Volunteers and seven catches for 187 yards and a pair of scores against the Ducks at the Rose Bowl.
Even in a game against Texas where the elite Longhorns defense crafted its entire game plan around stopping Smith, he still opened up the field for the Ohio State's other pass catchers to make plays. Smith finished that game with just three yards on one catch, but he was bracketed and double teamed for much of the night.
Notre Dame likes to play a lot of man coverage, even after losing star cornerback Benjamin Morrison for the season with an injury. As a result, Smith could be in for a monster game in the national championship if the Irish don't commit more help to him. The freshman phenom has been basically unguardable in one-on-one situations this season, so it will be interesting to see how Notre Dame goes about defending him.