Is Jeremiah Smith the best college football receiver ever? Ohio State’s junior is making the case in the one place that counts: the record book, one Saturday at a time.
So far, through six games this season, Smith has 48 catches, 916 yards and 11 touchdowns, according to ESPN’s game log. He also owns three of the most important career receiving records in Buckeyes history. That is a lot of history for a guy who doesn’t turn 21 until late November.
The records keep falling for Jeremiah Smith
It started Sept. 19 against Kent State. There, Smith passed Michael Jenkins to become Ohio State’s career receiving yardage leader, ESPN reported. Jenkins had 2,898 yards.
A week later, Illinois got the full show. Smith tied the school single-game record with four touchdown catches and set career highs with 12 catches and 217 yards, per the AP. As a result, the Buckeyes won 42-19.
Then came Iowa on Oct. 3. That night, Smith passed Emeka Egbuka for the career receptions record and Chris Olave for the career touchdown catches record, ESPN said. He also tied Marvin Harrison Jr.’s school mark with his 15th game of 100-plus receiving yards. In fact, that made him the first Buckeye with back-to-back 200-yard receiving games, as Eleven Warriors noted. Our Week 6 recap of the biggest wins and wild stats has more from that Saturday.
Not a bad month. Most players spend a whole career chasing one of those names.
Smith passed three of them in two weeks.
Is the Ohio State receiver the best ever?
The big question is the one in the headline of ESPN’s debate piece. And it is a real debate. Urban Meyer, the former Ohio State coach, has said Smith “probably is the best receiver in college football history,” according to Yahoo Sports. Meyer admitted he is biased (which is a bit like a chef admitting he likes his own cooking).
The numbers crowd isn’t so sure. That same Yahoo Sports piece argues the stats don’t support the claim yet. In its view, even a 100-catch, 1,800-yard, 20-touchdown season would only crack the top three all-time.
So who wins? Neither side has the whole story. Smith is chasing the record book and the opinion pages at the same time. Only a few full-time receivers have ever won the Heisman, and he is making noise about being the next. After the Iowa game, he said he has to keep reminding voters “that I’m the best player in the country.”
Meanwhile, his head coach isn’t arguing. Ryan Day said after the Illinois win: “I mean, if there’s a better player in the country, it’s hard to imagine.”
The résumé behind the Buckeyes star wideout
This isn’t a one-month hot streak. Smith helped Ohio State win the 2024 national title as a freshman and was a unanimous All-American in 2025, per his Wikipedia profile. He has been Big Ten Receiver of the Year twice. Through his first two seasons he piled up 2,558 receiving yards and 27 touchdown catches, the most by any Big Ten receiver in their first two years.
ESPN also polled more than 20 front-office staffers, and they named Smith the unanimous No. 1 returning receiver for 2026. Likewise, ESPN projects him as a top-five pick in next year’s NFL draft.
One note on the numbers: career totals vary a bit by source because of the timing of the Maryland game. Through Iowa, Smith had 3,381 yards, 207 catches and 36 touchdowns. However, Wikipedia’s tally, which includes the 45-16 Maryland win, shows 3,474, 211 and 38.
What’s next
The Buckeyes are 5-1. Their only loss was 24-23 at Texas. Next up is a noon ET game at Indiana on Oct. 17 (FOX), and our look at ESPN’s SP+ rankings shows why the Hoosiers are no pushover. After a bye week, the schedule gets heavy: at USC on Oct. 31, Oregon on Nov. 7 and Michigan on Nov. 28.
Here’s the thing: if you care about Ohio State, or just about watching something you’ll be telling people about later, this stretch is the part to circle on the calendar. That’s where the “best ever” argument gets settled. Big games, big defenses, big stage.
Want to see what else is happening around the sport? Check our college football Week 6 guide for every big game to watch.
If Smith keeps doing this against the best teams on the schedule, the debate will be over. Meyer might have to stop calling himself biased.
