Remember the time, when Jeremiah Smith officially signed with Ohio State, while an eager Ryan Day, his knees buckling, heaved with relief on securing the overall No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2024. Since then, Smith has never once disappointed his roster. Emerging as one of the fastest collegiate wide receivers in the season, Ryan Day’s prized wide receiver is grabbing eyeballs. And recently, he got compared to the likes of a Hall of Fame, 7x Pro Bowler NFL star.

The Pro league players and scouts have been watching him closely; a speculated top 2027  draft pick, he is called. Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ wide receiver and Ohio State Buckeyes alum Emeka Egbuka is highly impressed with Smith’s speed and agility, comparing him to the likes of NFL legends. “What do you think, when it’s all said and done, Jeremiah Smith will end up?”  The Scarlet and Gray Podcast’s Jordan Schultz spoke to Egbuka. The NFL star replied: “He has a real shot at being No. 1. I have not really seen Julio Jones or Calvin Johnson play in person, but I can only imagine it was very similar to this.”

Julio Jones is a seven-time NFL Pro Bowler during his 13-season NFL career. In his pro-league career, he had 914 receptions for 13,703 yards and 66 touchdowns. His accumulated yardage stands firm in the NFL’s records in the 16th spot. Moreover, he is a member of the Hall of Fame’s All-2010s Team.

Moving on to Calvin Johnson, he was nicknamed ‘Megatron’ for his incredible on-turf prowess. In his debut season in 2008, he finished with 78 catches for 1,331 yards and 12 touchdowns. Spanning over a nine-season career in the pro league, he made 6x Pro Bowl appearances, concluding with 83 touchdowns.

Egbuka, who is breaking records in his NFL debut, thinks highly of Jeremiah Smith. “He is the second player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to catch a game-winning touchdown pass in the final minute of regulation or overtime in his first career game,” as the Buccaneers.com put it. The other player, who has achieved such a feat, is Ernest Wilford of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2004.

Egbuka further named his top five wide receivers at OSU. “Going to have to go, Chris Carter. I’ll put Marvin [Harrison Jr.] there, because you know, he’s a top four Heisman candidate. You got Ted Ginn,” Egbuka added. “Speedster. Take the top off, so he was really fun to watch.” Adding to the list, he said. “There’s another spot up between David Boston and Michael Jenkins.” Moving on, he named Chris Olave, who is the leader of the offense in receiving touchdowns.

Even OSU alum Will Howard, who is presently with the Pittsburgh Steelers, was left in awe with the sophomore’s capabilities. Howard played with Smith in his senior year and was left stunned. “Oh, he could’ve played last year. There’s no doubt in my mind,” he said on Smith’s possibility about playing in the NFL presently. “You look at him, and he’s this 18-year-old kid, you know, he looks like an NFL player,” he reminisced about when he first met the sophomore wide receiver.

Jeremiah Smith’s NFL buzz has taken off quite well. Recently, Matt DiBiasio, a sports blogger, speculated that Smith could rake in a four-year $200 million contract by 2030. Naturally, the whopping sum seems overwhelming right now, but former NFL executive Andrew Brandt also chimed in regarding the possibility of the million-dollar amount. “It sounds wild now, but by  2030, it might be normal. The cap is growing, and elite receivers are getting paid more than ever.”

Adding to the frenzy, Jeremiah Smith had broken the Seattle Seahawks‘ WR record in his recent showdown.

Jeremiah Smith breaks Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s OSU record

Last weekend saw a gritty Jeremiah Smith tuck in nine catches for 153 yards and a score against the Ohio Bobcats to register himself in Ohio State’s book of records. Emerging as one of the fastest players in the collegiate circuit, he broke the record to reach 1,500 receiving yards in over 19 games. Jeremiah Smith became the fastest receiver in Buckeyes history to amass 1,500 yards, passing OSU alum and NFL player Jaxon Smith-Njigba‘s 1698 yards record over 20 games.

The milestone was achieved during his second catch of the play when QB Julian Sayin threw a 42-yard pass against the Bobcats. He grabbed eyeballs since his freshman campaign. With over 1,300 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns, he was a key offensive piece that led the Buckeyes to the 2024 national championship.

The wide receiver is as humble as he is grounded in his achievements. “It’s a blessing, but you don’t want that hype to affect you,” he said in an interview with Ohio State football. “I just keep my head down, just find ways to get better each and every day.” Presently, Smith is a sophomore, and he is only getting started.