CHICAGO — Jeremiah Smith was feeling a little sentimental at Big Ten media days.
Smith acknowledged the likelihood of this being his last season at Ohio State when asked about the prospect of him leaving for the NFL next year.
“Kind of sad, I should say,” Smith said, “but I’m going to give it everything I got.”
Smith, the Buckeyes’ superstar wide receiver and a preseason candidate for the Heisman Trophy, is viewed as one of the top prospects in college football and will be eligible to enter the draft starting in 2027.
Not only is Smith seen as a potential top-five pick, but he could be the first receiver to go No. 1 overall since 1996 when the New York Jets took Keyshawn Johnson with the top selection.
Johnson and Irving Fryar (1984 to the New England
Patriots) are the only receivers to be the No. 1 overall picks since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
Smith would be a senior in 2027, and the NCAA’s newly adopted eligibility rules allow him to play as long as 2028, but he recognized this year as his likely final chapter in college.
“I think it’s time for me to go,” Smith said.
If this year turns out to be his last with the Buckeyes, he wants to end on a high note. He’s mentioned that he hopes to, among other things, win a second national championship, a Heisman Trophy and claim the Biletnikoff Award as the country’s top receiver.
Smith, who caught 163 passes for 2,558 yards and 27 touchdowns through two seasons, is also within striking distance of the Buckeyes’ career receiving records.
“We’re very fortunate he’s a Buckeye,” Day said. “He’s done so many great things for us, but he wants this year to be his best.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jeremiah Smith hints at final season with Ohio State football: 'Time for me to go'
