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Ohio State Football Star Jeremiah Smith: 10 Things To Know · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: The Ohio State Buckeyes are getting set to play the
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  Speaker 1: top ranked Oregon Ducks in the twenty twenty five Rose Bowl,
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  Speaker 1: part of the College Football Playoff quarter Finals. One of
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  Speaker 1: the biggest names in that game is just a true
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  Speaker 1: freshman wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith. He's already got sixty three
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  Speaker 1: receptions for one thousand and thirty seven yards and twelve
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  Speaker 1: touchdowns during the twenty twenty four season. All three of
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  Speaker 1: those broke records held by NFL Hall of Famer Chris
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  Speaker 1: Carter for freshman production at Ohio State. Carter had forty
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  Speaker 1: one receptions. That's a record that Jeremiah Smith broke against
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  Speaker 1: Perdue in early November. He broke the yardage record of
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  Speaker 1: six hundred and forty eight back against Penn State. That
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  Speaker 1: was in the first week of November. And he broke
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  Speaker 1: Carter's record of eight touchdowns as a freshman back in
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  Speaker 1: the Perdue game again in early November. And he has
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  Speaker 1: just kept going. So if you've already broken every freshman
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  Speaker 1: receiving record there is in the Ohio State record book
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  Speaker 1: that already tells you you're not just a normal freshman.
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  Speaker 1: Here's another indication that Jeremiah Smith is not just your
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  Speaker 1: typical freshman college football player. He not only led the
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  Speaker 1: Buckeyes in receiving touchdowns, he led the entire Big Ten
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  Speaker 1: in receiving touchdowns with twelve. He is fourth in the
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  Speaker 1: nation and once again has a chance to keep piling
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  Speaker 1: on those numbers at the Rose Bowl. Here's a crazy
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  Speaker 1: stat for you. Jeremiah Smith has almost as many games
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  Speaker 1: with two touchdown receptions this year. He's done that twice
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  Speaker 1: against Akron and Tennessee as he does games with zero
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  Speaker 1: touchdown receptions. That's happened to him only three times. That
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  Speaker 1: means in the first thirteen games of his college football career,
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  Speaker 1: he scored at least one touchdown in ten of them.
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  Speaker 1: That two touchdown performance against Tennessee was his first ever
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  Speaker 1: college football playoff game. So how did Jeremiah Smith think
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  Speaker 1: he played against the volunteers? And what does that workload
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  Speaker 1: like as a true freshman.
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  Speaker 2: I'll fill up at a great game. I mean, just
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  Speaker 2: what the weeks we had off in practice. I mean
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  Speaker 2: just telling coach Hartlin, I want to be challenged these
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  Speaker 2: weeks that we've been off. When I went up to
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  Speaker 2: him after I mean before we had the senior tackle,
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  Speaker 2: I put him aside, like, coach, I want you to
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  Speaker 2: challenge me this week. I told him that you could
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  Speaker 2: ask himself, I want to be challenged, That's what I want.
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  Speaker 2: And he did that last week and that's why I
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  Speaker 2: had the game that I had.
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  Speaker 1: And yeah, when he says he asked to be challenged,
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  Speaker 1: what was that challenge?
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  Speaker 2: I mean just you know, pushing me in practice, pushing
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  Speaker 2: me to the limit that I want to be pushed.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, that's how you become great. You see guys
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  Speaker 2: like Kobe Bryan, Michael Jordan that they wanted to be pushed.
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  Speaker 2: So I'm trying to be like them. But in football, so.
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  Speaker 1: Was Jeremiah Smith maybe a little frustrated at not getting
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  Speaker 1: the ball thrown his way a lot during the game
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  Speaker 1: against arch rival Michigan. And was that maybe part of
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  Speaker 1: be asking to be challenged?
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  Speaker 2: I mean no, not really. I mean you can see
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  Speaker 2: what team up North was doing. No bracketing me and
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  Speaker 2: a Mecca. I mean just you know, I know, second
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  Speaker 2: half and the god as planned as everybody wanted to go,
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  Speaker 2: but you know, we gotta lead out behind and just
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  Speaker 2: focus on in front, nose and being in organ You.
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  Speaker 1: Heard Jeremiah Smith mentioned defense is trying to bracket him
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  Speaker 1: with multiple players in coverage when he's out running routes.
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  Speaker 1: So when that happens, does that open things up for
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  Speaker 1: the rest of the offense. We asked Chip Kelly, offensive
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  Speaker 1: coordinator for the Buck Eyes, and Will Howard, the Ohio
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  Speaker 1: State quarterback, about that.
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  Speaker 3: He obviously has an impact every time he's on the field,
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  Speaker 3: but I think it's really the quarterback being able to
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  Speaker 3: discern that are they bracketing him on this play and
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  Speaker 3: not bracketing him on that play and understanding do we
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  Speaker 3: go to option two or option three? If maybe JJ
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  Speaker 3: was option one and they are doubling him, then we
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  Speaker 3: got then hopefully that means someone else, you know, is
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  Speaker 3: going to be open.
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  Speaker 2: So it's really Will.
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  Speaker 3: Being able to process that post snap from how teams
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  Speaker 3: are deploying him. But I think and I think Well
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  Speaker 3: has done a nice job with that.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, anytime you know a defense has to put two
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  Speaker 4: guys over one, I mean that it's either creating matchups
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  Speaker 4: elsewhere or give any numbers in the box. Whatever it
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  Speaker 4: is you got to you gotta be able to work
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  Speaker 4: with it and see it and and uh, you know,
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  Speaker 4: I wouldn't be surprised. If you know people are going
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  Speaker 4: to start bracket at number four, I'd probably do it too.
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  Speaker 4: But you know, you got to ca can't forget about
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  Speaker 4: seventeen and two and eighty eight. And I mean, shoot,
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  Speaker 4: we got we got guys elsewhere, So it's you know,
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  Speaker 4: if you try to take one of them out of
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  Speaker 4: the equation, then you know, we got we got other
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  Speaker 4: dudes that are going to step in and make plays too.
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  Speaker 4: So I mean, and that's the thing. I mean, you
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  Speaker 4: can double him and he's he'll still go and make
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  Speaker 4: some play. So you know, that's our all part of
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  Speaker 4: the chess game. And like I said, you know, playing
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  Speaker 4: a team twice becomes even more of that you know,
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  Speaker 4: back and forth chess game. How you know, how are
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  Speaker 4: we going to scheme them up and vice versa. And
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  Speaker 4: but you know, at the end of the day, it
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  Speaker 4: all comes down to execution and finding the matchups where
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  Speaker 4: we can and taking advantage of of what they give.
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  Speaker 1: Us win an opposing team bracket you with two defensive backs,
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  Speaker 1: you would sort of assume, Okay, you're probably covered. In
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  Speaker 1: Jeremiah Smith's mind, no, he still thinks he's probably going
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  Speaker 1: to get open.
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, for sure, I'm still and I'm mad at
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  Speaker 2: my bracket or not.
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  Speaker 1: So what would it take for Jeremiah Smith to feel
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  Speaker 1: like he's not open on a play?
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  Speaker 2: Probably when the whole team on me, I should say,
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I'm always open to me for sure. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: just you know, throw the ball in my ear. I'm
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  Speaker 2: going to find a way to make a play.
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  Speaker 1: A lot of the stuff that people say about Jeremiah
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  Speaker 1: Smith and have been saying about Jeremiah Smith almost since
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  Speaker 1: he got to Ohio State has sounded crazy, and then
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  Speaker 1: you see him back it up on the field, and
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  Speaker 1: a lot of the stuff you hear him say would
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  Speaker 1: sound cocky. A chip to see it and back it
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  Speaker 1: up on the field. So how long has he had
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  Speaker 1: the confidence that he's going to be one of the
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  Speaker 1: greatest of all time in the sport?
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  Speaker 2: I mean, a lot of people tell me that I'm
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  Speaker 2: gonna be great at what I do. Since I was
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  Speaker 2: about going into high school, a lot of people tell
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  Speaker 2: me that. I mean, just you know, football is all
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  Speaker 2: I know, and that's all I really want to do.
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  Speaker 2: Like I live, breed, sleep, football, That's all I really
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  Speaker 2: care about. I don't care about everything outside the football,
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  Speaker 2: like football is all I know, and I just want
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  Speaker 2: to play football the rest of my life.
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  Speaker 1: What is it like to try to deal with the
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  Speaker 1: expectations of getting it all American honors as just a
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  Speaker 1: freshman expectations?
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I can't no higher state for a reason.
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  Speaker 2: That's what I wanted when it be challenged, I wanted
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  Speaker 2: the expectation expectations I have to say. I mean, Coach
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  Speaker 2: Hotline just helped me, uh throughout the whole year, just
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  Speaker 2: preparing me for each game each week. Uh A, Mecca, Buka,
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  Speaker 2: cardneal Ta Brenda, And it is really the whole receiver
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  Speaker 2: room just helped me. Stuff I don't really know about. Uh,
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  Speaker 2: it just helped me throughout the whole week. And you know,
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  Speaker 2: I can't really say it's all on me because my talents,
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  Speaker 2: but they've really been a big part of the reason
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  Speaker 2: I'm having the season that I'm having.
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  Speaker 1: For sure, What's been the toughest thing for Jeremiah Smith
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  Speaker 1: to adjust to in the college game?
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  Speaker 2: Learning not play but uh FLAVOROK? Is something else just
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  Speaker 2: coming in? Uh springball?
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  Speaker 4: Uh?
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  Speaker 2: I mean just new plays in every week. I'm like, well,
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  Speaker 2: what is this? Like this new players every day? Coach
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  Speaker 2: like you we go, You're gonna be good. We got
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  Speaker 2: no summer fall camp. You're gonna be straight. So I
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  Speaker 2: mean just you know, yeah, I said, that's definitely. What's
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  Speaker 2: the hardest part.
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  Speaker 1: How long did it take him to learn that playbook?
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  Speaker 2: I'm pretty I'm pretty sure I got it down pat
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  Speaker 2: right now. But next season, I really want to learn
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  Speaker 2: everything the h zee. Uh yeah, I really want to
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  Speaker 2: learn everything in a playbook for next year for sure.
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  Speaker 1: When Jeremiah Smith sees the opposing defense going one on
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  Speaker 1: one with him, what's going through his mind?
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  Speaker 2: When that's all I can say? When coach Hotline, Uh,
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  Speaker 2: we do something like in a hotel Friday night before
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  Speaker 2: the game. He asked me like a question like you
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  Speaker 2: get one on one something like that. He asked me,
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  Speaker 2: what do you do? I say when and everybody just
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  Speaker 2: started laughing. I don't know every lie. It's true, like
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  Speaker 2: you got to win your one on one? About it.
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  Speaker 1: Ohio State has tried to move Jeremiah Smith around to
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  Speaker 1: make him harder to cover for opposing defenses, and at
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  Speaker 1: times he's ended up matched up with safeties or even linebackers.
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  Speaker 1: So what goes through his head when he sees something
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  Speaker 1: like that?
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  Speaker 2: Uh, I just started laughing in my head a little bit.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, linebackers can't really cover receivers like that, so
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  Speaker 2: I just know like it's most likely go to be open.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, they just try to move me around
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  Speaker 2: a lot because you know, people try to bracken me
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  Speaker 2: when I'm outside just alone by myself. So that's why
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  Speaker 2: they move me around a lot.
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  Speaker 1: Since the end of that first game between the Black
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  Speaker 1: Eyes and Oregon, how much has Jeremiah Smith thought about
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  Speaker 1: the end of that game and the offensive pass interfire
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  Speaker 1: is called it went against him that helped settle the score.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think about I called probably every day. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: just you know, it was a crazy call. I mean
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  Speaker 2: just I mean the dB was holding me. I just
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  Speaker 2: cleared his hands. I guess receivers can't be physical in
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  Speaker 2: football anymore, but dbs could hold ten yards fifteen yards
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  Speaker 2: down the field. So I mean, I mean it's behind me.
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  Speaker 2: I just know how know to move here or out
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  Speaker 2: when the dB is grabbing me. I just know how
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  Speaker 2: to move now. You know, I can't be I guess
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  Speaker 2: can't be physical as receiver and college football anymore. But
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  Speaker 2: we'll just see how things play out this game.
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  Speaker 1: What kind of a challenge is Jeremiah Smith expecting from
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  Speaker 1: the Oregon secondary in the Rose Bowl.
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  Speaker 2: I'll say the challenge is going to be, you know,
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  Speaker 2: a good challenge. They have some great glob of guys there,
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  Speaker 2: Jabarmahammad number seven, Nico Rie of the corner, remanin and
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  Speaker 2: over there, a great groop of guys. I mean, probably
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  Speaker 2: the best we go see all year, for sure, But
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  Speaker 2: you got to go out there, you know, the Ohio
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  Speaker 2: State as all, has.
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  Speaker 1: Chip Kelly ever seen someone as good and as young
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  Speaker 1: as Jeremiah Smith as young?
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  Speaker 3: No, no, not at not that maturity level that approached
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  Speaker 3: those physical skills as a as a young player, as
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  Speaker 3: a freshman, I've not seen anybody like Jeremiah.
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  Speaker 2: No.
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  Speaker 1: The Buckeyes based a lot of their offense in the
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  Speaker 1: first round of the College Football Playoff around Jeremiah Smith.
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  Speaker 1: What makes Chip Kelly confident enough in a freshman to
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  Speaker 1: be willing to do that?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think the one thing about Jeremiah is just
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  Speaker 3: his consistency to practice itself. He practices every day, very
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  Speaker 3: rarely has he missed anything. You know, I think his
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  Speaker 3: durabilit over the course of time. You know, we've played
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  Speaker 3: fourteen games now or thirteen games now, and he's you know,
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  Speaker 3: he's been there every day. You know, some other guys
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  Speaker 3: have had an ankle, had a knee, he had something
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  Speaker 3: that would keep him out, not for the entire game
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  Speaker 3: or but during the course of a week, maybe miss
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  Speaker 3: a Tuesday, miss a Wednesday.
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  Speaker 4: You know.
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  Speaker 3: The one thing about JJ is he he's out there
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  Speaker 3: every day, and I think he's, uh, he really enjoys
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  Speaker 3: the practicing, he really enjoys playing. I think the kid
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  Speaker 3: loves football, which is awesome to see. So you know,
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  Speaker 3: I think he's built for it, you know, and you
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  Speaker 3: look at him physically, I think he's he can handle
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  Speaker 3: the Worklow.
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  Speaker 1: In Will Howard's mind, is Jeremiah Smith always open?
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  Speaker 4: Yes, he is pretty much. You know, they got to
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  Speaker 4: put like three or four guys over him for him
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  Speaker 4: to not be open. Yes, he's He's unbelievable man. He
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  Speaker 4: makes makes some some pretty crazy plays and can do
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  Speaker 4: some great things off the line of scrimmage. And then
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  Speaker 4: you know, when the balls in the air, he goes
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  Speaker 4: and gets that thing. So I mean he's, yeah, he's special.
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  Speaker 1: Jeremiah Smith may hold all of the Ohio State freshmen
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  Speaker 1: receiving records already, But if he wants to break the
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  Speaker 1: Ohio State Rose Bowl receiving records, well he's got his
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  Speaker 1: work cutout for him. The last time the Buckeyes were
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  Speaker 1: in Pasadena, Jackson, Smith and Jigba went off for fifteen catches,
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  Speaker 1: three hundred and forty seven yards and three touchdowns. Those
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  Speaker 1: are all Ohio State Rose Bowl records. Can Jeremiah Smith
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  Speaker 1: break those records. Can Jeremiah Smith help Ohio State reach
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  Speaker 1: the College Football Playoff semi finals in.
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  Speaker 2: The Cotton Bowl.
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  Speaker 1: That'll all come down to how he and the rest
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  Speaker 1: of the Buckeyes play New Year's Day in the Rose
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  Speaker 1: Bowl against top ranked Oregon