Jeremiah Smith entered the 2025 season with Heisman buzz. While he was limited in the Texas game, he has returned to his best since then. One particular moment in their game against Washington showed why he can change the momentum in a matter of seconds. Towards the end of the second quarter, Ohio State was trailing but had an opportunity to take the lead. On a 3rd and 11 at Huskies’ 18-yard line, Julian Sayin took the snap in the shotgun and quickly found an open Jeremiah Smith, who caught the ball and only stopped in the endzone. That play changed the game, and the Buckeyes didn’t let the home side have a sniff in the second half. Such moments outline how special Smith is, and it’s not just the fans or analysts who say this; even former Buckeyes place him in that elite category.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, OSU’s 2021 wide receiver phenomenon, received for 1,606 yards at an impressive average of 16.9 yards per reception. The season also included a 145 receiving yard performance against Oregon and a stellar 240 receiving yard showing against the Cornhuskers. Even against Michigan, in a 27-42 loss, Njigba was exceptional, receiving for 127 yards. Since then, he has had several breakthrough seasons with the Seahawks. But where does he feature in comparison to Jeremiah Smith? If he were to believe, the current Buckeye WR is better.

Nijgba appeared on the Rich Eisen Show and talked about the quality of the sophomore wide receiver. In his words, Jeremiah Smith is a type of WR he hasn’t “seen before” and declared the 6’3″ 223 lbs phenom to be the leader on the team. “Honestly, on the field at that stature as a receiver man, a person that can create and eat at all three levels, and just be a competitor. The competitive spirit, you can just see it. You can just see it when he’s out there and bring everybody’s confidence on the team. You know, it’s really just next level and just shows,” said Jaxson Smith-Nijgba.

When asked by Rich Eisen if Jeremiah Smith is even better than him, Nijgba gave his unfiltered take. “I think his ceiling is farther than I would say, a lot of us. I would say definitely myself. Just being 6’3″ and running his routes, top of his route. I believe that he has it all. So he’s a special. He’s a star, he’s going to be a superstar,” concluded the Seahawks star WR. The ceiling surely is showing this year, despite teams throwing double coverages on him. Although his efficiency has dropped by a margin this year, that does not signify the lesser role the sophomore wideout plays in Ryan Day’s offense.

Despite some of the criticisms leveled at Jeremiah Smith after his Texas performance, ahead of the Week 5 game against the Huskies, Smith was the only WR listed in the top-5 Heisman odds. That goes on to show that despite throwing two drops and managing just 43 yards against Texas, Jeremiah Smith helps in the running game, diverting defenders and confusing coverages. So, the +1100 Heisman odds that Jeremiah Smith has, he is the only non-QB with better odds than 50-1. Moreover, the Texas game didn’t fully show what Jeremiah Smith is capable of; it came in the later games.

Jeremiah Smith outlines the reason for his drop in efficiency in the 2025 season

Later in the season, Jeremiah Smith, despite facing weaker opponents in Grambling and Ohio, still ran riot and showcased his skills. Receiving for 119 yards against Grambling at 23 yards per reception wasn’t easy, and following up with a 17-yard per reception performance against Ohio showed Smith’s consistency. That consistency again showed on the road in Seattle, as Smith accumulated 82 yards for a touchdown. So far, Smith has notched up 396 yards at a 14.1-yard average. That may look somewhat less than his 1,315-yard performance last year at a stellar 17.3 yards per reception average, but it’s for a good reason.

“Them guys, I feel like they’re going to shock a lot of people. Especially Carnell. That guy there, he can do anything and everything that you ask him to do. Very smooth route runner, can block, can do it all. Brandon, the same way. He’s got that dog in him,” said Smith about his fellow WRs at OSU. Moreover, he also touted this year’s WR room to be better than the 2024 natty season’s. “So, I feel like this year, I mean, our room is very special…I feel like it’s better than last year because we can all do different things. That’s what I think,” announced Jeremiah Smith.

That’s exactly the reason for some drop in Jeremiah Smith’s efficiency, owing to a world-class WR room. Carnell Tate, for instance, has been exceptional so far, averaging 16.8 yards per reception for 252 yards, and Brandon Inniss is reliable, expected to develop as the season progresses. Courtesy of these players, Jeremiah Smith isn’t catching those 8-9 passes he used to catch last season. But all in all, we should expect Jeremiah Smith to surpass 1000+ yards again, sealing his status as OSU’s undisputed legend.