The Ohio State Buckeyes have a special talent on their hands with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who has consistently proven to be among the best and most NFL-ready players in the college ranks. But, he’s just a freshman, so the NFL is still a distant dream.
Smith went off in the Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks. He torched the No. 1-ranked Ducks for 187 receiving yards and two touchdowns, his second straight two-score game.
Against Tennessee in the game prior, Ohio State’s first-round matchup, he went for 103 yards and two scores, making his mere 35 yards against the Michigan Wolverines to close out the regular season even more shocking.
If there’s one thing everyone who sees Smith finds obvious, it is that he’s ready for the NFL. The Ducks coach reiterated that as well.
“I mean, the guy’s NFL-ready,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning proclaimed via USA Today’s Dan Wolken. “He’s that talented,” Lanning continued with.
Right now, Smith is going to have to be at Ohio State (or another college) for two more seasons due to the NCAA’s policy, which makes sense for almost every party except the NFL-ready freshman.
That’s going to limit how quickly he can get to and produce at the highest level in sports. While NIL will ultimately help Smith, it certainly wouldn’t be to the sum that a first-round pick would be financially.
No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams inked a fully guaranteed almost-$40 million. Smith could be looking at something like that one day, but he’s going to have to wait.
Smith is the pinnacle of a player who could test the NFL’s guidelines, as Wolken notes as well. If this high-level play against top teams continues, he could certainly challenge the status quo.
Let’s hope he again goes off against the Texas Longhorns on Friday night.
