Before the season began, Jeremiah Smith’s name figured in Heisman lists. On3’s JD PicKell even predicted the Ohio State WR to take home the Trophy in New York, superseding Garrett Nussmeier and LaNorris Sellers, among other QBs. But we know how Heisman odds go, especially in the early part of the season. You have one good game, and you’re top of the list. It works even faster if you are a quarterback in college football. The latest odds are out, and well, they are along expected lines.

At the top of the list sits Oregon’s Dante Moore, who has had a breakthrough season in his first year as the starter of Dan Lanning’s program. In Week 5, the Ducks’ QB1 traveled to Beaver Stadium amid all the hype over it being a Whiteout game and showed that he belongs on the big stage. That is exactly what the second name on the list did this Saturday. Ty Simpson (+950 odds) traveled to Athens and just didn’t care that Georgia hadn’t lost a home game in their last 33 matchups. Then comes Ohio State’s WR. Jeremiah Smith is the third name on the list with +1000 odds. The other Buckeye is their QB1 Julian Sayin (+1700).

Miami’s Carson Beck (+1100), Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (+1400), Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt (+1900), Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar (+1900), Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia (+2000), and Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed (+2000) are other names who are quickly picking up the pace. But let’s circle back to Ohio State’s WR1.

Jeremiah Smith made the loudest noise in his freshman season, with 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Entering his sophomore season with another loud bang, he has so far maintained the momentum with 28 receptions, accumulating 396 yards and four touchdowns. That slow start in Week 1 against Texas didn’t derail Smith’s season despite all the noise over the lack of targets. He responded with 272 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the next two outings. But even if someone has to doubt the level of difficulty against non-conference sides, the WR continued his performance at Husky Stadium as well.

Big names make big plays. They lift the team when chips are somewhat down. Their role gains even more prominence in hostile away grounds. That’s what Jeremiah Smith did against Washington. Towards the end of the first half, Ohio State was trailing by 0-3, and the offense hadn’t really gotten going. Finally, they managed to put together a drive, but it required finishing touches. In comes Jeremiah Smith, who caught a Sayin pass for an 18-yard touchdown. All that Husky momentum, and the home team entered the halftime with their heads down. Ohio State went on another drive to start the third quarter, and that 0-3? It was 14-3 now. But that one play by Jeremiah Smith changed the momentum. Will Heisman voters take notice of these nuances?

Over the years, only 52 non-quarterbacks have won the Heisman award. But more woe to the WR campaign: out of that minuscule figure, the majority of the chunk is devoured by the running backs, with a mere four wide receivers earning the prestigious honor. In 1987, Desmond Howard earned the accolade; in 1991. Then came the era of the 2000s, when Bama’s Devonta Smith became the first wide receiver to win the honor, shortly followed by another name popping up in the WR campaign: Colorado Buffs’ Travis Hunter in 2024. Although he was a two-way player.

The leader of the offense dominating the Heisman trophy is more of a 2000s phenomenon; the only exceptions being DeVonta Smith and Travis Hunter. But if we reel back towards the 1930s, we will find an interesting nugget in the gridiron history, especially pertaining to the Heisman trophy. The Running backs were the frontrunners for the honor, which later trickled down to the dominance of the quarterbacks.