Ohio State football wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is already receiving praise from people around the program as they are in the swing of preparing for the start of the season. Already impressing as a freshman, Buckeyes co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline among others sung Smith's praises Friday.
Smith was a five star recruit and was ranked as 247 Sports' No. 1 overall prospect in 2024 as he committed to the Ohio State football program over other schools like Miami, Florida State, Florida, USC, and Georgia. Hartline would say specifically about Smith that not only does he have the tools on the field, but he has “embodied” all the making of an “Iron Buckeye” even as a freshman according to Chase Brown.
“He has a lot of tools, he works extremely hard,” Hartline said. “We’ve never had an Iron Buckeye from Coach Mick as a freshman — I don’t know about ever, but since I’ve been here.”
“He embodied everything that is a part of that conversation,” Hartline said via 247 Sports. “It's not just lifting numbers, speed numbers. It is the way you carry yourself, the way you train, the edge to you. It's all of that.”
More Jeremiah Smith praise, expectations with Ohio State football team
Another person within the Ohio State football team that has said nothing but praise about Smith has been defensive back Jordan Hancock. Especially since they likely face off with another in practice, Hancock has noticed he is “competing his butt off right now” while having a “quiet” attitude.
“He's just competing his butt off right now. Super competitive, the ultimate competitor,” Hancock said. “He's quiet with it, too. Everyone knows what timing he's on. He's really good.”
There is no doubt that Smith has a lot of expectations with not just being a five-star recruit, but also the pressure of being on the Ohio State football team. He knows that and said Friday that he will “just try to block out all that stuff.”
“I know it's a big expectation for me because I'm the No. 1 player in a country coming in and all the hype around me,” Smith said via 247 Sports. “So, I mean, I just try to block out all that stuff and just focus on the main thing, just the team and our receiver room and the locker room. And just the first game come, and if I don't exceed the expectations that y'all have for me, I mean, I don't really care. I just want to go out there and win the game.”
At any rate, the Buckeyes will attempt to build off of last season where they went 11-2, 8-1 in conference play as they open up the season against Akron on August 31.
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