The Ohio State Buckeyes not only looked formidable in their 52-6 win over Akron but also showcased a dynamic freshman receiver.
Jeremiah Smith, the top national recruit in the 2024 recruiting class, signed on with the Ohio State Buckeyes after dominating the state of Florida throughout high school. Smith earned the top receiver spot on the Buckeyes’ depth chart as a true freshman, which is an arguably difficult feat to achieve. The young receiver has been labeled an ‘ultimate cheat code’ and a ‘video game-created player’ by fans and analysts following his debut performance.
Ohio State Buckeyes Freshman Receiver Jeremiah Smith Lighting Up Football Field
The Ohio State Buckeyes are off to a 1-0 start to the 2024 season behind quarterback Will Howard and receiver Jeremiah Smith. The duo performed extremely well and led the Buckeyes offense to a 52-point performance against the Akron Zips. Running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson also did plenty of damage on the ground for the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes dominated the Zips, but better yet looked exceptional individually while doing so. For the true freshman wide receiver Smith, it was a chance to fully display what he is able to do on the football field for his team. The Buckeyes signed Smith to the 2024 recruiting class as the top overall recruit, with a whopping 101 overall rating.
Smith wasted no time displaying every tool the receiver had available, showcasing one-handed catches and excellent jukes in the open field. The receiver caught six receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns for an average of 15.3 yards per reception. The Ohio State Buckeyes receiver showed extreme awareness and a mature level of intelligence for the game at such a young age.
Can the Ohio State Football Receiver Contend For the Fred Biletnikoff Award?
With Smith getting off to a hot start and already showcasing his separation, hands, and ability to catch contested balls, it is hard to not see the receiver earning some type of honors. As a freshman, earning an award or other prestigious honors is a difficult task, particularly as a receiver. Each collegiate program uses multiple receivers and the competition Smith has to go against at the position is difficult.
However, the Fred Biletnikoff Award is given out to the best wide receiver in the nation each year following the completion of the season. Only one freshman has ever won the award, and that is former Texas Tech star Michael Crabtree. Crabtree won the award in 2007 and 2008, also joining only a handful of receivers to ever earn the award twice.
The Ohio State Buckeyes won the award a season ago, with receiver Marvin Harrison Jr becoming the first Buckeye to win the award since 1995. Terry Glen was the previous Buckeye who had won the award, and the Ohio State Buckeyes team was never quite able to get it back. Until both Harrison Jr and Smith came along and changed that trajectory.
Smith hauled in two touchdowns against the Zips and made everything he did look incredibly smooth and easy. Smith caught difficult passes for touchdowns, showed off his one-handed ability, and also broke away from the defense after the catch against the Zips. With only one week taken into consideration, Smith arguably looks like the most talented receiver in the country and could contend for the award.
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