Cris Carter knows what greatness looks like at wide receiver. He played beside Randy Moss, mentored Larry Fitzgerald, and eventually put on a Pro Football Hall of Fame gold jacket himself. So when he talks about Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, this is not just another retired legend throwing around cheap compliments.

During a recent appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Cris Carter was asked how good Jeremiah Smith really is. His answer skipped the usual college praise and went straight to the top. He said he sees a future “Heisman Trophy” winner.

Then Carter shared a private exchange between them. On a Saturday morning, the Buckeye legend sent a video to Smith and Ohio State wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton. Carter told Smith that he expects him to become the third Gold Jacket receiver he has personally influenced, right alongside Moss and Fitzgerald.

“That I expect him to be the third gold jacket that I’ve been associated with and have had a role in their life,” he said. 

That confidence did not come out of nowhere. Carter began believing in Smith during the receiver’s true freshman season, when Smith started breaking Buckeye records that had stood untouched for four decades.

Cris Carter arrived in Columbus back in 1984 and immediately set the standard. He caught 41 passes for 648 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman. For nearly 40 years, those freshman benchmarks stood as the gold standard at Ohio State. Great receivers came and went, including Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Marvin Harrison Jr., but none of them topped Carter’s first-year numbers.

Then came Jeremiah Smith. The 6-foot-3 standout from Opa-locka, Florida, arrived as the top recruit in the nation and immediately lived up to the hype. By his ninth game, he caught his ninth touchdown to break Carter’s freshman record. He ended that stellar 2024 debut season with 14 touchdown catches and a new Big Ten freshman record.

Beyond the numbers, Cris Carter saw something else. Before Ohio State’s January 2025 national championship game against Notre Dame, he told CBS Sports that Jeremiah Smith was the best player in the country and praised his work ethic.

“He’s one of the first in the building at Ohio State,” he said. “He’s one of the last ones to leave.”

Now, Cris Carter has basically put the Hall of Fame conversation on the table. And here’s where JJ makes the whole thing more interesting.

Jeremiah Smith isn’t satisfied with his accomplishments 

Jeremiah Smith is entering his junior season with just about every major accolade imaginable already following him around. But his offseason focus was on yards after the catch. The OSU WR has been devastating on deep balls. Over his first two seasons, he produced 2,558 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns, the most by a Big Ten receiver through two college seasons, according to Bruce Feldman.

In 2025, he caught 87 passes for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns despite being the guy every defense knew Ohio State wanted to get the ball to. But Cortez Hankton found something to poke at. The Buckeyes ranked 95th nationally in yards after the catch last season. Jeremiah Smith was stunned. Since then, he has been studying receivers such as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ja’Marr Chase, and Malik Nabers.

Jeremiah Smith now says he feels faster and is moving better than he did as a freshman or sophomore. He may give one final problem to college opponents but the NFL better be ready because he’s already thinking about leaving Columbus. He still has eligibility available, but when reminded that he could stay at Ohio State longer, he laughed.

“I know, but I think it’s time for me to go,” he said.

That’s an NFL decision waiting to happen. Cris Carter sees a future Hall of Famer, and Jeremiah Smith seems ready to start proving him right.