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2025 Preseason Herbie Awards: Jeremiah Smith named Best Wide Receiver

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz08/23/25NickSchultz_7
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith
Adam Cairns | Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

During his preseason Herbie awards Friday night, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit named his best wide receiver for 2025. He picked Jeremiah Smith to bring it home as he looks to follow up a decorated freshman year.

Smith emerged as the focal point of the Ohio State offense after arriving as the top recruit from the 2024 cycle. He had immediate chemistry with Will Howard, helping fuel the Buckeyes’ run to their first national championship under Ryan Day.

Smith totaled 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024, leading the Big Ten in both categories. Despite multiple changes at Ohio State this year, Herbstreit thinks he has the pieces to continue that success.

“It’s hard to argue with what this guy did,” Herbstreit said on the show. “And whatever the expectations were his freshman year … I think he exceeded them. And especially because of right there, from that point on, that reception early in that CFP game against Tennessee really set the tone for him and for Ohio State to obviously make their run to a national championship.

“Now, they’re breaking in a new quarterback in Julian Sayin, breaking some new offensive linemen in, they’ve got to replace their two running backs. So there’s a lot that’s going around him and this team, but I think we all realize the job that Ryan Day’s done and his staff in recruiting and developing. And even though there are a lot of new pieces, you still expect this offense with a new offensive coordinator still to be hitting in full stride.”

Last year, Jeremiah Smith entered the season with so much hype as a true freshman, Day said at Big Ten Media Days he didn’t want to discuss it until games started. There’s plenty of noise once again this year, but the former Five Star Plus+ recruit doesn’t want to hear it. He wants to keep his focus on the task at hand, which is winning games and defending the national title.

“I’ve been handling it very well,” Smith said. “I come from humble beginnings. I don’t let all that stuff get to my head. I just focus on the main thing, and that’s football and the team.

“So, I don’t let all that — you know, all the awards I’m up for, and all the hype around my name (affect that). I just want to focus on the team and focus on football.”