Ranking Ohio State freshman Jeremiah Smith’s most stunning highlights

Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith was one of the breakout players in the first month of the college football season, often earning highlights.

The No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class entered this season with sky-high expectations after the hype throughout the offseason, and he lived up to them with 19 catches, 364 yards, five touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in just four games .

The freshman from Miami made one-handed catches look easy and turned short grabs into touchdowns after running away from the entire defense. It seems like every game he plays there’s another catch that’s trending on social media – even though Alabama freshman star Ryan Williams stole the show during Saturday’s game against Georgia on a bigger stage.

Let’s break down Smith’s best plays ahead of the Buckeyes’ game Saturday against Iowa, which has the best defense he’s faced yet.

GO DEEPER

How an Ohio State freshman became a ‘top code’

1. One-handed? Double team? No problem

JEREMIAH SMITH Are you kidding?! 🤯

📺 Peacock | @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/wbhzKFPfWu

— NBC Sports (@NBCsports) September 29, 2024

Smith’s touchdown after that was remarkable, but it was his favorite. This is absurd.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard said he just needs to give Smith a chance to catch the ball and he’s confident the freshman can handle it. This was one of those situations.

“Put him in and he’ll play,” Howard said after Smith’s first game. All I have to do is give him a chance and he will do the rest.”

Michigan State had two safeties to prevent something like this from happening, but that just proves how difficult it is to stop Smith. He does great on this curve route and runs right past the outside defender while playing flat. Howard gets rid of the ball just in time to give Smith a chance to catch the ball between two defenders, and it’s all up to the talented freshman.

His only hope of catching it was with one hand, and he does it despite the Michigan State safety tugging at his facemask and the cornerback pulling at his legs.

Ohio State’s receivers have made some incredible catches over the years. This is right up there with the best.

2. The press field is going crazy

I’ve never seen the press box react to a play the way it did to Smith’s touchdown catch.

This happened just a few plays after his one-handed catch on the sideline, so the reaction to the hit was even stronger. To be clear, cheering is not allowed in the press box, but that catch made people stand up and, in reaction, start walking up and down the aisle. Even NFL scouts reacted to the catch in an unusual way.

“What an unbelievable catch,” Ryan Day said afterward. “I couldn’t believe he caught it.”

Smith can make any play look easy no matter who his quarterback is, and that was proven once again here. Devin Brown had to replace Howard, who had already been ruled out of the game after running out of air.

It was another double score and Smith did a great job of winning the lane with the corner pressed and hitting the perfect spot between the safety and the corner. It must be admitted to Brown that although the ball was slightly deflected, he got rid of it at the right moment and shot it into the window.

Smith shows once again that if the quarterback gives him a chance, he will play. He did it again and led Ohio State to an easy victory.

3. Welcome to college football

Jeremiah Smith’s debut lives up to expectations. pic.twitter.com/5kyaVcrI5x

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) August 31, 2024

That was my first “Oh, this kid is really something” moment in the game.

His first touchdown faded nicely – he’s on that list too – but it was an eye opener because I still don’t know how he caught it.

There’s a lot to love about Smith, from his speed to his catch radius, but the way he adjusts to his throws is impressive for an 18-year-old. It doesn’t matter if he’s open and needs to adjust, or if there’s a player on top of him; finds a way to gain control of the ball. That’s what it was.

He had to slow down and prepare his hands for the impact of the through throw and then make sure the ground didn’t knock him down.

4. The first of many touchdowns

This is what we saw throughout preseason camp. Once Ohio State finds itself in the 20, it will turn its attention to Smith.

It didn’t take long for this to come to fruition in the game. It’s only Akron, but it’s still an impressive catch from Smith, who has really good body control.

As is often the case in these clips, he does a great job of coming off the press and working the route. He gets into good position and Howard hits the back shoulder of Smith well.

5. Yes, he can run too

There are many possibilities for the fifth catch on this list, but I chose this one because it shows another part of Smith’s game: his speed.

At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Smith can be expected to impose his physical will on his opponents. But he’s also a speedster.

This is particularly impressive because he catches this pass at a near-stop. He has three defenders around him, runs past them, and then runs away from six pursuing defenders for a 70-yard touchdown.

I don’t think there’s anything on the field that Smith can’t do, and he’s only four games into his career. The best is yet to come, which is a scary thought for a Big Ten defense playing Ohio State for the next two and a half seasons.

(Photo by Barbara J. Perenic/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)