This wide receiver is a perfect example of “age is just a number.” At 20, while many youngsters fight for relevance and look for opportunity or don’t even care about the future, this kid is already putting his name on the list of best wide receivers of college football, and no one believes it more than Kirk Herbstreit.

“How do you not love that guy? I mean, he might be the best receiver we’ve ever seen right now,” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said on The Devil’s in the Detail Podcast.

Well, Kirk Herbstreit knows what he is talking about. Even before playing his first game in college, Jeremiah Smith was already a big name. People in Columbus believed he would become the next great Ohio State receiver. As the No. 1 recruit, he came in with very high expectations, even though he was just a freshman.

His ceiling was obviously high long before he even arrived in Columbus. Evaluators ranked him as the highest-rated wideout in modern recruiting history, placing his potential above legends like Julio Jones. That rare physical baseline was exactly why analysts were projecting his all-time greatness.

In his first game though, he ended up making a mistake. During a play against Akron, the quarterback threw the ball at him, but he dropped it. However, this was his only drop for the whole season, and thereafter, Smith showed what he is actually capable of.

Surpassing local school records was just the beginning. He did not just dominate the Big Ten, but shattered the all-time NCAA FBS freshman receiving record. Putting up those historic national numbers against elite defenses proved he could end up in the conversation for the greatest ever.

He even broke freshman records at Ohio State, and he showed that even a first-year player can perform at a very high level. Ohio State’s head coach already saw that talent in him, and he couldn’t hold back his praise of Smith.

“You can see the talent,” Ryan Day said. “Sometimes you look at him, and you don’t think he’s quite human, but he is. He’s just built different.”

He already had the best tag dedicated to his name even before Herbstreit gave it to him. As he was voted “Best Football Player” and “Best Male Athlete” by Lantern readers in the “Best of OSU” poll. Smith grew up in Opa-locka, near Miami, where football is very popular. From a young age, he’s been a standout prospect because of his 6’3 frame and athletic ability.

Jeremiah Smith’s ultimate motivation

One person played the biggest role in making Jeremiah Smith such a great football player. Though his support system involves many people, like his coaches, but the most important influence comes from his family. Some people think it is his cousin, NFL player Geno Smith. But that is not true. The real reason is his father.

His high school coach, Daemon Jones, clearly says that his father, Chris Smith, is the main person behind his growth.

“His dad was one of those parents over the years who never complained about anything,” Jones said last year. “He instilled that in him early, so when J.J. (Jeremiah) got older, it was the norm. That’s what he was used to, no matter if Dad was around or not. That’s what he did.”

That showed up early in him, as Jeremiah Smith believes that just having talent is not enough to be great. He knows that if someone wants to succeed, they must work harder than everyone else and show it through their actions.

His father, Chris Smith, taught him this way of thinking from a young age. Jeremiah Smith has followed those early lessons closely, becoming a top player and having an amazing set of two seasons. He also credited his father for his strong work ethic, saying, “I get it from my dad.” His family likes to stay simple and steers away from attention, even though he is one of the biggest names in college football.

All thanks to his father, who makes sure Jeremiah Smith stays grounded. All those efforts are paying off big time, as their kid is not just a reason behind Ohio State’s championship win in 2024 but also an unstoppable force in the game.