Ohio State may have knocked off Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals en route to a national title back in January, but that night left a sour taste in Jeremiah Smith’s mouth. The breakout freshman receiver — nearly unstoppable all season — was held to just one catch for three yards against the Longhorns, his lowest output of the year by far. With Texas set to visit Columbus to open the 2025 season, Smith sees the rematch as a chance to rewrite the narrative.
“I’m definitely hyped about this one, especially with how things went last year — things people saying about me, about that game I had last year,” Smith said. “I’m definitely hungry for this one, for sure.”
Texas was one of the only defenses to figure out the All-American wideout. That was no accident. Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian detailed last month how shutting down Smith was central to their semifinal game plan — and how it will be again come Aug. 30.
While Texas succeeded in limiting Smith, it came at a cost. Fellow Buckeyes receivers Carnell Tate and Emeka Egbuka combined for 12 catches totaling 128 yards, and tight end Gee Scott Jr. had a career-high five catches. Still, Sarkisian said the priority doesn’t change.
“I do think, at the end of the day, that’s where your attention needs to be,” Sarkisian said on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” “Ideally, you’ve got multiple people with eyes on him and guarding him, but you still have to play great team defense, and you’ve gotta have the ability to stop the run, and you’ve gotta cover the two other wideouts they have … but you better know where No. 4 is at all times.”
That level of attention speaks volumes about Smith’s talent. The former No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class lived up to the hype in his debut season, leading the Big Ten in receiving yards (1,315) and touchdowns (15). He drew comparisons throughout the year to NFL stars — most notably Julio Jones.
Although Ohio State has yet to name a starting quarterback — with three former blue-chip recruits still battling in camp — Smith isn’t expected to face a sophomore slump in 2025. Despite the uncertainty under center, he enters the season as one of the Heisman Trophy frontrunners, with the fourth-best odds (+1100) at FanDuel Sportsbook.
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