Will Howard predicts Jeremiah Smith could become 'best to ever do it'

Freshman phenom wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had a borderline perfect first season at Ohio State last year. The Hollywood, Fla., native burst onto the scene, catching 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns during the Buckeyes’ national championship run.

He became quarterback Will Howard‘s go-to receiver and proved that he could already be one of the most talented wide receivers in the history of Ohio State football. Howard, who is now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers after being selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, spoke highly of Smith during Friday’s edition of ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’

Howard revealed that he believes the sophomore wide-out could go down as one of the best collegiate players to ever play the game. He explained.

“It’s a sight to behold man,” Howard said about Smith. “Watching No. 4 play football, both with the Steelers (referring to DK Metcalf) and with the Buckeyes, I mean they’re both unbelievable players. They’re very comparable in a lot of ways, but JJ is a freak man. I was telling people before the season last year that this kid is gonna be one of the best in the country as a freshman and they were all like ‘We’ll believe it when we see it.’”

Howard claims Jeremiah Smith could be ‘best to ever do it’

“I think everyone saw it pretty loud and clear last year. He’s unbelievable,” Howard said. “He can do everything big. He catches freaking every single ball you throw at him. I think when it’s all said and done, he could very well be (and I know that’s saying a lot) the best to ever do it. He’s so talented and I’m excited to watch him ball out this week.“

Since head coach Ryan Day took over as Ohio State‘s head coach in 2019, the program has trotted out all-time wide receivers in Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Garrett Wilson among others. Smith, however, has the tools to rank even higher than those names.

“I’ve been handling it very well,” Smith said about the hype surrounding him heading into the season. “I come from humble beginnings so I don’t let all that stuff get to my head. Just focus on the main thing, and that’s football and the team. I don’t let all that — you know, all the awards I’m up for, and all the hype around my name (affect that). Just want to focus on the team and focus on football.”

No. 3 Ohio State opens the season against No. 1 Texas on Saturday in a blockbuster matchup. Kick-off is scheduled for 12:00 PM on FOX.