Jeremiah Smith is a generational talent. If you were surprised by his 2024 returns, there’s more in store. Ryan Day’s prized WR is only going to get better. He’s already being talked about as a potential first-round pick, which just shows how high his ceiling is when he goes pro. He’s probably used to all the comparisons with NFL legends by now. But the big question is, could he actually go beyond those expectations?

Smith was Ryan Day’s biggest recruit of the 2024 class. He knew that the 5-star prospect was ready to make waves in college football and had him start in 15 games last year. And everyone was in awe of his performance. 1,315 yards, 15 TDs, and 76 catches are beyond impressive for a WR’s debut season. His best moment last year came in Ohio State’s most important game. The natty final. With the Buckeyes up 8 (31-23), minutes to go in the 4th quarter, at 3rd and 11, Will Howard connected with Jeremiah Smith on a 56-yard throw. Game over. Smith’s best game by numbers was the Rose Bowl, in which he tallied a stellar total of 187 yards on 7 receptions. He’s a true leader in the Buckeyes’ offense this year and is headed to even more greatness in the future.

On3’s Ari Wasserman has extremely high hopes for the star player. He said in a May 30 episode of Andy & Ari, “I believe that when his NFL career is over with, he will be the greatest receiver to have ever played.” That is not something experts say for just any player. Because there are other elite players in CFB right now too. “Being better than Calvin Johnson and Jerry Rice, there’s a lot – a long way to go for that,” Wasserman said. “Based on what I know about him, and his physical measurables, and his production so far, is that he should do that. Like, that’s what I think of him,” the expert noted.

Jerry Rice is arguably the greatest wide receiver that the NFL has seen. Like a GOAT basketball player who can get the buckets as per their wish. You throw it in Rice’s direction; it’s a catch. 22,895 career receiving yards is a testament to that. In the same GOAT WR debate, there’s also Randy Moss. Even the current lot has WRs like Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson. However, as we said already, Smith is a generational talent.

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky thinks that teams will be going all out to try and get him when Smith declares for the draft. He also thinks the WR looks like Julio Jones, the veteran Falcons WR. “He is Julio Jones. His hips look like they’re in his armpits. He looks 6-5 just from his hips down,” the expert noted.

The comparisons ring high and wide for Jeremiah Smith, and that’s just from his freshman season with the Buckeyes. Smith looks to be another victory for WR coach Brian Hartline as well, who now has a trend of seeing his guys turning out to be first-round picks. Ryan Day, on the other hand, has even higher hopes for him.

Ryan Day is confident about Jeremiah Smith’s future

Wide receivers have to truly make a mark in their career to be treated like elite players. For OSU, Jeremiah Smith has become the program’s face. Just because of the brilliance of his first season, people cannot stop raving about him. HC Ryan Day thinks Smith will display even more firepower in his sophomore season. “He’ll come in with a different mindset than he did last year. Just even bigger, stronger, more mature, more veteran, and because of that, the game will slow down even more for him.  I think you’ll see, I don’t know how much the jump will be, but you’ll see even better play,” Day said.

Smith is already part of 2 record charts of OSU history. He has the fourth-highest receiving yards made in a season (1,315) and occupies the 10 spot for most in a single game at 187. Going by Day’s words, Smith will have more records to his name, awards, and all the other luxuries that come with being a CFB player poised to script NFL history down the line. Day has literally no reason to worry when it comes to his WR room ahead of the 2025 season. With an already brilliant and now-upgraded Smith, Carnell Tate, and Max Klare, he knows this group will not disappoint. It’s the quarterback situation he has to worry about.

Already on the radar for the best teams in the NFL, Jeremiah Smith will have a lot of eyes on him when he begins his sophomore season. Because if he’s looking better than he was, like in 2024, other teams’ defenses really have a huge reason to worry about.