After breaking the Ohio State receiving yards record during the Buckeyes' win over Kent State on Sept. 19, Jeremiah Smith was asked whether he happens to watch college football on Fridays.
"Always," Smith responded with a laugh.
He seemingly caught the reference to Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney, who had recently lit up the stat sheet for the Hurricanes in a 33-20 win over Wake Forest.
Toney, once recruited by the Buckeyes, burst onto the scene for Miami in his 2025 freshman season while leading the FBS in receptions and the ACC in yards and touchdowns. He is one of the top wide receivers in the country.
Smith is well aware of the comparisons between
him and Toney and confirmed he's been keeping an eye on his play.
"Malachi [Toney] is going off week in and week out," Smith said. "Little friendly competition. I mean, I see him go off, so I'm trying to have a good game as well."
Toney was a four-star prospect from American Heritage High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and the No. 49 receiver in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports. Around a 20-minute drive southeast of American Heritage is Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School, where Smith spent three years of his high school football career.
"I mean, [we're] just both from Dade County, both from South Florida, so all we're trying to have a little competition here and there," Smith said.
Through three weeks of the 2026 season, Toney and Smith are the only two non-quarterbacks with reasonable odds to win the Heisman Trophy. Per BetMGM, they are currently tied with the third-best odds at +1000 along with Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor. The two favorites are Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and Darian Mensah, Toney's quarterback at Miami.
We've got a Heisman pose-off brewing with Malachi Toney and Jeremiah Smith. pic.twitter.com/MBmSOzumX1
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) September 5, 2026
Mensah, a transfer from Duke, has the highest completion percentage in the FBS through three games. His favorite target is Toney, who has 28 receptions for 444 yards, which are both second in the FBS. (Baylor's Gavin Freeman has 29 catches. Oregon State's Jesse Legree has 475 yards.)
Smith has 21 receptions and his 400 yards give him the fourth-most in college football.
See a comparison of the two wide receivers' stats through three games and from the 2025 season below.
Jeremiah Smith vs. Malachi Toney head-to-head comparison
2025:
- Games played: Jeremiah Smith 13, Malachi Toney 16
- Receptions: Smith 87, Toney 109
- Receiving yards: Smith 1,243, Toney 1,211
- Receiving touchdowns: Smith 12, Toney 10
- Yards per reception: Smith 14.3, Toney 11.1
- Receiving yards per game: Smith 95.6, Toney 75.7
2026:
- Games played: Smith 3, Toney 3
- Receptions: Smith 21, Toney 28
- Receiving yards: Smith 400, Toney 444
- Receiving touchdowns: Smith 3, Toney 5
- Yards per reception: Smith 19.0, Toney 15.9
- Receiving yards per game: Smith 133.3, Toney 148.0
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why Jeremiah Smith is paying close attention to Miami star Malachi Toney
