Nick Saban does not hand out Julio Jones comparisons lightly. He coached some of the best receivers college football has seen during his 17 years at Alabama, including Jones and DeVonta Smith. But after watching Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, Saban basically admitted he is seeing something he thought he might never see again.
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During his appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Nick Saban compared Jeremiah Smith to Julio Jones. That comparison came while discussing the Heisman Trophy race and the growing case for the Ohio State WR. While he stopped short of saying Smith should win the award, calling the Heisman a complicated debate, his description shows how highly he views the junior receiver.
“The Heisman is a tough one, but I will say this, he’s one of the most dominant players in college football,” he told Rich Eisen. “That guy is big and strong. I thought Julio Jones was kind of one of a kind back in the day when we had him, but this guy reminds me of him in a lot of ways.”
The comparison makes sense beyond the hype. Smith is listed at 6’4 and 222 pounds, giving him the kind of size and physicality that made Julio Jones such a nightmare for defenders. Jones showed that early at Alabama, earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 2008 and helping Nick Saban’s Tide win the 2009 national title.
Julio Jones was not just another star Nick Saban coached. Saban has previously named him among his favorite Alabama players, alongside Derrick Henry, Tua Tagovailoa, Rolando McClain, and Reuben Foster. That makes the Jeremiah Smith comparison hit harder. Smith already has the same intimidating physical presence, and his 2026 production is making Saban’s comparison look less dramatic by the week.
Through four games, Jeremiah Smith has 33 catches for 617 yards and seven touchdowns. Those numbers sit on top of what he had already built during his first two seasons. Entering 2026, he had 2,558 receiving yards and 27 touchdown catches, both among the best marks nationally over that span.
His latest explosion came against Illinois in Week 4. Jeremiah Smith caught 12 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns in Ohio State’s 42-19 victory, tying the school record for receiving touchdowns in a game. He also became the first Buckeye receiver to cross 3,000 career receiving yards. That performance changed the Heisman conversation around him almost overnight.
Jeremiah Smith entered the week at roughly 10-1 in BetMGM’s market. After the Illinois game, he moved to +250 and became the sportsbook’s favorite, while DraftKings had him at +260. He was also responsible for 9.2% of BetMGM’s Heisman bets and 18.2% of the money wagered on the race.
And there is more than one huge Saturday behind the argument. Jeremiah Smith has already shown he can produce against serious competition. In Ohio State’s 24-23 loss at Texas, he caught eight passes for 164 yards and a touchdown as the Buckeyes blew a 20-point lead after going up 23-3 in the third quarter. The loss hurt Ohio State, but it did little to quiet the noise surrounding Smith.
The Heisman history makes Nick Saban’s hesitation understandable. Only four players whose primary college position was WR have won the award. Johnny Rodgers, Tim Brown, Desmond Howard, and DeVonta Smith. Travis Hunter won in 2024 while playing both WR and CB. So the question is not whether Jeremiah Smith is producing like a Heisman candidate. The harder question is whether voters will put a WR above the QB who traditionally dominates the award.
Nick Saban left that part open. But he did not leave much ambiguity about Jeremiah Smith himself. For a coach who once called Julio Jones one of a kind, saying the Ohio State star reminds him of Jones in “a lot of ways” is about as loud an endorsement as he could get.