Jeremiah Smith has already rewritten the Ohio State record book, becoming the program’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches. He has passed some of the names who helped build Ohio State’s receiver legacy, yet one of those former Buckeyes found himself too awkward to even say hello. Dane Sanzenbacher spotted Smith at a gas station last year and spent some time debating whether he should approach him.
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“Last year we were both at the gas station together, and I see who is pretty unmistakably Jeremiah Smith,” Sanzenbacher said during an episode of 97.1 The Fan on October 7. “There’s a Mercedes AMG, and I’m like, hmm. I wasn’t going to go out of my way because I wasn’t going to have enough time to explain who I was. But no, we went in. We both went in. I was like, ‘Oh man, he’s in here.’ So now we’re passing each other in the aisles, and I’m like, do I have time to even unpack and explain who I am?”
Sanzenbacher’s hesitation wasn’t just about approaching Smith. He also knew that, despite his own Ohio State and NFL background, he was just another person in the store at that moment if Smith failed to recognize him.
“I got out of my brand-new work car, my Subaru, and I went in, my shirt’s tucked in, and I’m getting gum and water,” Sanzenbacher said. “And I’m just like, okay, I need 20 minutes for you to trust what I’m saying. Either I was just going to say ‘hey man’ and he was just going to think I was a fan. I didn’t want to make him feel weird, like he had to sift through if I was telling the truth or not.”
But Smith wouldn’t have any reason not to recognize Sanzenbacher, as the former wideout played for Ohio State from 2007 to 2010 and was First-Team All-Big Ten in 2010. He went undrafted in 2011 and later played four years in the NFL with the Bears and Bengals, finishing with 43 catches, 449 yards, and three touchdowns.
Dane has been part of Ohio State’s “Wide Receiver U” legacy, ranking among the program’s most productive receivers with 124 catches, 1,879 yards, and 19 touchdowns, plus nine catches in the 2010 Rose Bowl win over Oregon. Now, Smith has joined that exclusive group, rewriting the Buckeyes’ receiving record book.
Smith is at 207 catches, 3,381 yards, and 36 touchdowns in 34 games, ahead of Emeka Egbuka’s 205 catches, Michael Jenkins’ 2,898 yards, and Chris Olave’s 35 touchdowns. He recently tied Marvin Harrison Jr. with 15 career 100-yard games, and this season he led the nation with 44 catches, 823 yards, and nine touchdowns. The Buckeyes have produced six first-round receivers in eight years, and Smith is projected to be at the top of the 2027 NFL first-round draft.
After breaking all-time program records, Smith isn’t done yet, as he wants to help lead the team to national championships.
“Bring this team a national championship,” Smith said during an interview after the Iowa game, according to CBS Sports. “That’s all I’ve been chasing since the season started. That’s a goal of mine before I leave here, and I’m very committed to that.”
Ohio State is 4-1 and 2-0 in the Big Ten, with its only loss being 24-23 at Texas. Smith has already taken his place in the program’s record book, but for Sanzenbacher, the gas-station encounter is a funny reminder of how quickly things can change at Ohio State. A receiver who was also part of the Wide Receiver U legacy is now watching from the sidelines as Smith takes that legacy forward.
Ohio State’s offense runs through No. 4
Ohio State’s 2026 season depended on one receiver, with quarterback Julian Sayin always throwing to Smith, raising concerns for the offense if Smith is covered and the depth in wide receiver room behind Smith.
At Iowa, Sayin went 20-for-27 for 324 yards and three touchdowns, and Smith caught 11 of them for 206 yards, about 64% of the total. Ryan Day knows the target is obvious and joked about it on Tuesday ahead of their next matchup against Maryland.
“If he’s one-on-one, he’s open,” Ryan Day said, according to Nick Kosko of On3. “If he’s double-covered, he’s sort of open. If he’s triple-covered, he’s covered, so that means somebody’s got to be open somewhere else.”
Day also said a receiver can carry an offense, “but it’s got to be more than just him [Smith].” Maryland comes to Columbus on Saturday, followed by a trip to Indiana on October 17.