A record-breaking freshman season? Check. Signing big-money NIL deals (including Adidas)? Check. Winning the national title? Check. And most of all, getting registered as a de facto face of college football? Check. So, after having done some momentous feats last year, Jeremiah Smith now comes back to terrorize those defenses again for Ohio State and Ryan Day. And this time? The wide receiver is proclaiming his dominance even before the season starts.

If 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns aren’t enough to convince some folks about Smith’s talent. Then don’t look beyond that Rose Bowl performance of Smith against Oregon last year. In that game, despite coming after tweaking his flexor against Tennessee, Smith put in a performance to remember. That 65-yard touchdown in the third quarter? A beauty. And how about that 43-yard late fourth-quarter reception? Led to a field goal as OSU won 41-21. Despite these heroics, Jeremiah Smith isn’t fully satisfied with his skill set yet.

Undoubtedly, Jeremiah Smith was otherworldly last season, and one would guess it to be his ceiling in many ways. Yet, we still saw him not playing as fast as the game might have demanded, and that probably showed against Michigan last year. Then there’s the route-running perfection that Smith looks to master as the 2025 season comes in with just one month left.

In a recent interview at Ohio State, Jeremiah Smith was asked about the things he had improved in his playing style, now having matured as a player with experience. Smith’s reply? Let’s just say, Michigan isn’t getting out victorious at the Big House this year. “Yeah, like last year, in certain games, I hesitated doing certain things. Not really going for speed, but I know this year what to expect,” said Smith. He declared, “It’s gonna be scary this year.”

There are probably other dynamics at play too, as Smith now finds himself receiving a new QB (probably Julian Sayin) who won’t have the same experience as Will Howard had. In that case, Jeremiah Smith’s routes and runs need to be pitch-perfect to provide that extra confidence to his new QB. And hence the verdict of improvement from Jeremiah Smith. Moreover, along with perfecting his game, Smith is also supporting others in the WR room, including a 2024 WR prodigy.

Jeremiah Smith urges overcoming ‘mental things’ for a 2024 red-shirt freshman

Ohio State’s WR room doesn’t have Emeka Egbuka anymore, as he made it to the NFL. In that scenario, it’s widely expected that defenses will throw extra players to stop Smith, and so, in those moments, other WRs might need to step up. Currently, the room does have Carnell Tate, coming off a 733-yard season last year, along with Brandon Inniss, who played some crucial snaps last year, receiving 176 yards. Now, despite the promise of these players, other WRs will also need to step up, including Mylan Graham.

Jeremiah Smith now seems confident that Mylan Graham will be stepping up for Ohio State. “He’s a dog,” declared Smith fondly and pointed to the area he could work on. “Just needs to get the mental things right, but he’s gonna be a dog, for sure,” concluded Smith. As for Graham, he is undoubtedly a great player and just needs to find that confidence.

Mylan Graham came in as a near four-star talent last year and was ranked 12th at his position nationally. He sure brings a wealth of high school experience, finishing with 1,149 yards in his junior season, but he redshirted last year, and hence the concerns. However, with a full offseason in his bag, he now gets the opportunity to be the difference-maker in the WR room. And what if he works on what Jeremiah Smith said? The sky is going to be the limit for him, undoubtedly.