2025 Preseason Herbie Awards: Jeremiah Smith named best athletic freak

Jeremiah Smith not only has the talent, but the physical traits too. On Friday, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit named the Ohio State wide receiver his winner in the “Athletic Freak” category for the preseason Herbie Awards.

“Jeremiah Smith, I mean, he was a specimen as a true freshman,” Herbstreit said. “They said he can do 20 [bench press] reps at 225, and he’s only a sophomore. You know about the size of his hands. You know what he can do? I think he’s up to 23 miles an hour right now on a treadmill.

“They lined him up in different areas, use him as a decoy at times. They get that automatic double team. Opens it up for either the run game or other weapons that they have. Now, have Max Klare, tight end. So, it’s only going to open up the middle of that field and give him a chance. But yeah, we know what Jeremiah Smith is.”

Smith put his athleticism to good use during a historic freshman campaign last season. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound standout broke the FBS freshman receiving record, tallying 1,315 receiving yards. In total, he hauled in 76 catches for 15 touchdowns. He also notched one rushing score.

Smith didn’t shrivel away under the bright lights. In Ohio State’s win over Notre Dame in the national championship, Smith racked up five catches for 88 yards and a TD.

Moreover, Smith had his best performance of the season in Ohio State’s vengeful victory over Oregon in the College Football Playoff. In the triumph, Smith erupted for seven catches, 187 yards and two touchdowns.

For his efforts in the 2024 campaign, Smith was named the Big Ten Receiver of the Year and a First-Team All-American. Earlier this month, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt made a bold statement about Smith’s potential.

“[Ohio State has] got, I think, the best wide receiver that I’ve seen in college football since I’ve been covering college football in Jeremiah Smith,” Klatt said. “He might be the best player I’ve seen since I started covering college football.

“There’s only two players that I felt like, as their true freshman year, they should be on an NFL field: Adrian Peterson and Jeremiah Smith… Smith is ridiculous. I think Jeremiah Smith — I mean, this is probably too much hype — Jeremiah Smith, if he just keeps working hard and developing, I think he has a chance to be a top five receiver in the history of football.”

Ohio State will kick off its 2025 campaign with a showdown against No. 1 Texas at noon ET on Aug. 30. The game will air live on FOX.