Jeremiah Smith wants more. That’s the scary part. It’s not enough that the Ohio State wide receiver just became the school’s career leader in reception yardage. Most anybody would be satisfied with that.
Smith is not anybody. He is a freak, and I mean that as a compliment. His hands are made of Elmer’s. His body is carved from diamonds. His work ethic makes John Henry look like a slacker and his superhero strength is Hulkish.
A mere mortal? I think not. Mortals are content to reach the mountaintop. Smith wants to climb past the summit. To the stars and beyond.
“I’m blessed, but I have two more to get,” Smith said Sept. 19 after his second catch in OSU’s 59-3 thrashing of Kent State broke Michael Jenkins’ 23-year-old career yardage record (2,898).
Two more to get: Chris Olave’s 35 career touchdown catches (Smith has 30) and Emeka Egbuka’s 205 career receptions (Smith has 179).
Barring injury, Smith will own both marks before he exits for the NFL after the season. As it stands, the 6-foot-4, 222-pound junior from Miami Gardens, Florida, already ranks among the top five wide receivers in program history, right there with Cris Carter, David Boston, Terry Glenn and Marvin Harrison. Or insert your own guy. Maybe Jaxon Smith-Njigba? Olave? Garrett Wilson? Santonio Holmes? Joey Galloway? Jenkins? All were elite. Smith might be better.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day thinks so.
“It’s hard to put anybody above him,” Day said. “Thirty-three games to break the all-time receiving record at Ohio State. I think that speaks more than anything to him and his mindset. His discipline and what he does every day.”
Thirty-three games. Eight fewer than Jenkins needed to set the yardage record. It took Olave 47 to set the TD record; 49 for Egbuka to collect the reception record.
'He is one of one.' -- Kent State coach Mark Carney
A freak.
“He is one of one,” Kent State coach Mark Carney said.
“He loves to compete, loves the big moments,” Day said. “He loves his teammates and they appreciate who he is, and we certainly do as coaches. As fans, I think they do, but I hope they all recognize not only what you see on the field but who he is as a person. He loves Ohio State and this program.”
The program loves him back, to the tune of what almost certainly is multimillions in NIL, endorsement and revenue sharing money. You can hate the economy of what college football has become, but if anyone deserves to profit from it, Smith does. The Heisman Trophy candidate caught five passes for 85 yards in one half against the Golden Flashes, and could have had twice as many receptions if the Buckeyes did not intentionally feed their other wide receivers in a show of offensive strength that was missing against Texas, when only two WRs besides Smith caught balls.
But it is not in Smith’s makeup to pout when teammates trend.
“I’ll always support my [receivers] room. I’m a leader, a captain,” Smith said. “I’m always trying to push my guys and encourage them to be on my level.”
Good luck with that, not because Smith’s teammates are bums, but because he plays at such a high level that even top-shelf receivers look average by comparison.
Michael Jenkins congratulates Jeremiah Smith on breaking record
Jenkins, who ranks among the most underappreciated wide receivers in program history, knows the 20-year-old who broke his record is a special player, saying so while praising Smith during a video board salute after the record fell.
“Congratulations to Jeremiah on being the new all-time receiving yardage leader at Ohio State,” Jenkins said in the pre-recorded video message. "Huge accomplishment."
“I just wanted to come in as a freshman and make plays,” Smith said, explaining that setting records was not a specific goal when he arrived at Ohio State in 2024. “But the opportunity presented itself and I took full advantage of it.”
Day took the opportunity to present Smith with the game ball Saturday.
No. 4 cradled it. One catch closer to Egbuka.
Sports columnist Rob Oller can be reached at roller@dispatch.com and on X.com at @rollerCD.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jeremiah Smith isn't chasing history; he's rewriting it at Ohio State
