Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith put on a show in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.
Earlier in the week, Smith warned Oregon about trying to defend him 1-on-1. This afternoon, he backed up his trash talk emphatically, catching seven passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns as the Buckeyes waxed the top-seeded Ducks 41-21 to advance to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, where they’ll play Texas.
Smith wasn’t just the top-rated wide receiver in the 2024 class–he was also the No. 1 recruit overall. Thus far, he’s lived up to that billing and then some, and already has NFL scouts and front office members drooling about his future in the league.
During the game, Bleacher Report NFL insider Jordan Schulz tweeted out some of the “rave reviews” Smith was drawing from an anonymous league executive.
“He might be the most advanced receiver I’ve ever seen at that age. To be so young and so technically sound, then you add the physical tools and things get pretty freaky. Like some built in a lab stuff,” the executive told Schultz.
It’s incredible that Smith has to play another two years in college, by rule. That’s bad news for any future OSU opponents.
Like we said earlier, you can’t say Smith didn’t warn Oregon what was going to happen to them today if they tried to defend him man-up.
“I’m just laughing in my head. Why are y’all really playing man-on-man against us, or against me, I should say?” Smith said earlier this week, per ESPN’s Chris Low. “And when we see man [coverage] against any of our receivers, we’re going to take a shot down the field. So I’m just letting everybody know right now that if you play man Wednesday, we’re taking a shot.”
The Buckeyes are only two wins away from their first national title in a decade, and they are going to rely heavily on Smith to try and help secure those victories.
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