PASADENA, Calif. – It’s only been 14 games, but Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly had already seen enough of receiver Jeremiah Smith to make his proclamation.
“He’s the best receiver in the country, and he showed it tonight,” Kelly told USA TODAY Sports.
It’s hard to argue.
As the College Football Playoff stage gets bigger, the Buckeyes freshman receiver continues to shine. His latest offering – a dominant performance against top-seeded Oregon in the Rose Bowl to get his team into the semifinals. He finished the night with seven catches for 187 yards – a career-high that broke the school record for most receiving yards in a game by a freshman – and two touchdowns. He was named Rose Bowl offensive MVP.
It only took three plays for his impact to be felt Wednesday. Smith took a short toss from quarterback Will Howard and evaded multiple tacklers before so jogging into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown.
As he made his way into the end zone, he held up a peace sign and signaled to the Oregon crowd to quiet down, and that’s pretty much what they did anytime No. 4 got his hands on the ball.
Smith was doing it about any way he wanted to. He was winning one-on-one matchups against a top 10 passing defense and he was maneuvering through the secondary to find himself wide open for big plays. Each time Howard threw the ball toward Smith’s direction, you could sense the impending doom awaiting the Oregon fans and the anticipation to celebrate for the scarlet and gray.
What’s more impressive about Smith’s performance is that most of his damage came in the first half. Smith had five catches for 161 yards as Ohio State was comfortably ahead 34-8 at the break, while Oregon has accumulated only 131 total yards.
It’s bee quite the run for Smith since a loss to Michigan knocked the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten title game. Through two playoff games, Smith now has 13 catches for 290 yards and four touchdowns as Ohio State has gone up against two of the top defensive units in the country.
There may have been an extra incentive for Smith to show out against Oregon. Leading up to the Rose Bowl, he recalled the disappointment of the one-point loss to the Ducks in October and how that experienced helped Wednesday’s performance.
“We knew we had to get the ball to the perimeter, take shots and just win one-on-one matchups, and that’s what we did,” Smith said.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning had Smith capabilities in that first meeting as he finished with nine catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Now after seeing Smith befuddle his defense again, Lanning believes he’s ready for the next level – even if he has to wait two more seasons.
“He’s strong, attacks the ball in the air as well as any receiver I’ve ever seen. The guy is NFL-ready. He’s that talented and that special,” Lanning said. “He’s got all the tools. A really talented player.”
There is some irony that Ohio State is full of veterans and transfers lured through name, image and likeness, yet it’s a true freshman that’s setting the tone in the postseason.
But that was the feeling Buckeyes coach Ryan Day had when Smith first stepped foot on campus.
You just aren’t the nation’s top recruit by accident. Day said Smith has a serious demeanor and isn’t one to talk much, but whenever he does speak up, “people listen.”
“He had a look in his eye he wanted to make an impact as a freshman,” Day said.
It’s clear there’s maturity, accountability and confidence in Smith. He recalled telling Howard, who had his own big day with 319 passing yards and three touchdowns, just to get the ball to him and other receivers and they’ll make the play for him.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a bad ball or not, we’ll make our quarterback look good,” Smith said.
Ohio State has been a cottage industry of producing standout receivers in recent years. Smith is looking every bit of someone who will be on the NFL draft stage in 2027. Before then, Buckeyes fans have the rest of this playoff run and more to marvel at their new star.
“He’s got a couple more years until he goes, but he’s as good as I’ve ever seen,” Kelly said.