Jeremiah Smith’s sophomore season didn’t quite live up to the fireworks of his record-breaking freshman campaign. But the Ohio State star receiver isn’t dwelling on what could’ve been. He lost the 2025 Biletnikoff Award to USC freshman Makai Lemon due to injury, and now, for his junior season, Jeremiah Smith is setting his sights on a rare double award combo. 

When asked if he’s a stat guy on the I AM ATHLETE show, he said, “No, I don’t really care for stats. I mean, I’m up to break probably every stat here. I mean, I got the chance to stay healthy throughout the rest of my career here, I probably could have every stat, touchdown, reception, and yard.” 

But then he zeroed in on the hardware. “But like you said, the Biletnikoff, that’s probably one. I want to win a Heisman, but you know that that’s mainly a quarterback award.” He brought up the blueprint of DeVonta Smith, the last receiver to pull it off. “Yeah, but he went crazy. He went like, he had like 1600, 1800 yards, 20 touchdowns. So I got to do something just like that or even better.”

The thing about Smith’s “down year” is that it would be a career year for most college receivers. He finished the 2025 season with 87 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns through Ohio State’s playoff run. That’s elite production by any measure. But it’s a step back from his insane freshman campaign, where he put up 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, becoming the first Ohio State freshman to ever crack 1,000 receiving yards.

The bar Smith’s trying to clear is legitimately absurd. DeVonta Smith’s 2020 Heisman season was straight-up video game numbers. He went for 117 catches for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns in just 13 games, averaging 142.8 yards per game. He led the entire country in both receptions and yards, posted the most by any Heisman winner in those categories, and did it all while helping Alabama win a national title. 

That’s the standard Jeremiah Smith is chasing. And he’s not backing down from the challenge. “Going into my junior year, I’m going to just be on go like every game. I feel like this year they took something from me, and everybody got paid for it. So, that’s why I feel like my junior be like I’m out for everybody.”

The edge in his voice is real. He feels like the Biletnikoff was stolen from him, and that chip on his shoulder is only going to fuel what’s expected to be his final college season before heading to the NFL.​

Why Smith’s motivation goes beyond personal glory

The fire Jeremiah Smith is bringing into his junior year is about what got taken away from him and the entire Ohio State program in 2025. Former Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer shared his views on the Triple Option podcast about what went wrong with OSU. “Here’s the issue: You got your a– kicked at the line of scrimmage the last two games.”

Smith quickly liked that statement on social media, co-signing Meyer’s brutal assessment of the offensive line that failed to protect quarterback Julian Sayin. Sayin was sacked just six times during the entire regular season, then got dropped five times by Indiana and five more times by Miami. Miami’s elite defensive line, featuring All-Americans Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, made Sayin’s completion percentage plummet from 77% during the season to just 62.9% in the Cotton Bowl.​

Despite catching seven passes for 157 yards and a touchdown against Miami, Smith watched his team’s season end because the offensive line couldn’t hold up when it mattered most. O-line coach Tyler Bowen admitted after the game, “We knew we were playing against a good front… And we just did not execute well early. Overall, as a group, we didn’t play well enough to win the game.”

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For a receiver as talented as Smith, watching his national championship dreams evaporate because the guys up front couldn’t win their battles has clearly left a mark. And it’s exactly why his junior year is going to be personal.