Jeremiah Smith has quickly become a Buckeyes fan favorite after the 18-year-old managed to cement himself as a legend with his freshman record. Smith’s 17-yard TD on a crossing route late in the first half in the game against Purdue broke the tie with Cris Carter, who had eight in 1984. Going into the Northwestern matchup, Smith’s 45 receptions for 765 receiving yards were also freshman school records.

So, as the Buckeyes took the turf against Northwestern, you bet fans would have their eyes on Jeremiah Smith and what he manages to pull off against the Wildcats. With 4 receptions and only 100 yards during this game, it gonna make some fans scratch their heads at what happened and why didn’t Jeremiah Smith play better than this?

Well, the investigative skills of some Buckeyes fans have pointed out an alleged foul play. A video circulating on social media appears to show Northwestern defensive back Robert Fitzgerald twisting the leg of the Bucks receiver.

As it can be seen in the video, Fitzgerald tackling Smith by the legs, alongside Damon Walters, following a catch by the Buckeyes freshman. Fitzgerald, still holding Smith’s left ankle, then seems to use his weight to twist Smith’s leg at the knee.

The play in question occurred during the third quarter after Smith caught a ball from quarterback Will Howard and ran for a 68-yard play. Smith, who was found slightly limping after the play, had his ankle re-taped and jogged up and down the sideline during the ensuing stoppage of play.

However, the incident did not have any impact on the outcome of the game. By the time this happened, the Buckeyes were already up by 21-7 on the scoreboard. The Ohio State offense and defense had put a halt on the Wildcats and their play.

Regardless of it being alleged foul play, Ryan Day and Co. secured the bag with 31-7 on their board, marking their 9th win of the season. This puts the team one step closer to playoffs. But had this caused a serious injury, it would have been a big blow to this run. So, social media, say the Bucks’ fans are not stopping from erupting.

Kevin Noon, an author at the Buckeye Huddle, pointed out on X, “Jeremiah Smith walked by. Iced left ankle and slight limp.” A Buckeyes fan was quick to reply with, “Watch the replay on that play!!! The defender intentionally tried to break his ankle!! Big Ten will suspend him!!” Notably, Fitzgerald deactivated his X account shortly after the game. Fear of backlash? We can not blame the Bucks fans for that. Look what a talent Smith is. Jack Daniels, the South Florida High School coach for 35 years, can attest to that.

Daniels can recall an instance of playing Chaminade-Madonna and future Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith in the playoffs. “They were already up on us pretty good, and they had the running back throw the ball. And [Smith] went up — I think he was about 5 feet over the goalpost over a kid that was a Power 4 corner [Kevin Levy, who is now at Rutgers]. … It was just incredible,” Daniels had said.

He has faced dozens of future NFL wide receivers throughout the years, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Devin Hester and Super Bowl champion Anquan Boldin. But to him, Smith stands out. “He is head and shoulders, by far, the best I’ve ever seen,” said Daniels, comparing Smith’s high school prowess to that of Baltimore Ravens MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, who hailed from Boynton Beach Community High School.

At just 18 years old, Smith is already one of college football’s best wide receivers, alongside Alabama freshman phenom Ryan Williams and Colorado Heisman Trophy contender Travis Hunter. “His physical skills (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) are kind of incomparable for someone at that age, but it’s his maturity level that has set him apart. There’s a lot of guys that could get caught up in that hype. You don’t see that out of him,” Ohio State offensive coordinator and former NFL head coach Chip Kelly noted.

Smith has reached the end zone in every game this season, highlighted by his dazzling one-handed touchdown grabs against Michigan State and Iowa. But for those who faced Smith in high school, those spectacles are nothing new. Clearwater Central Catholic coach Chris Harvey could recall one instance.

In their state championship game, Harvey thought Chaminade quarterback CJ Bailey was throwing the ball away. “Then from nowhere comes this arm. And [Smith] pulls it back in for a touchdown, like Stretch Armstrong. It was definitely one of the best catches I’ve ever seen. But the thing about it is, he does that so often, he doesn’t even get excited about it,” Harvey recalled. But not only talent, something that separates him from others is probably his work ethic.

Kelly said that Smith carries on like a “10-year NFL veteran.” “How he approaches meetings, how he approaches practices, it’s rare,” Kelly pointed out. So says Chaminade coach Dameon Jones. As a junior, Smith was hampered by a hip flexor injury. Jones had asked Smith to take off a couple of practices to allow the hip to heal. “He got pissed at me. He told me, ‘I’m not missing practice. I’m not missing reps,” Jones said.

Smith brought that work ethic to Columbus. This summer, he became Ohio State’s first freshman to be named an “Iron Buckeye,” given to the top performers in offseason workouts. “Jeremiah is already a freak in the weight room,” said Emeka Egbuka, who had also earned the honor. Understandably, Buckeyes fans ain’t gonna let the ‘dirty play’ against such a talent slide so easily.

Demand for suspension as fans stand beside Jeremiah Smith

“Have you seen the replay showing the dirty player twisting his ankle yet?” a fan quickly pointed out on X. The tape does make the player in question look guilty, but once again, it could be something that happened by mistake.

Another fan mentioned, “They tried to rip his leg off!!!” Okay no, we are just exaggerating it at this point. No one was going to rip Smith’s leg off. Was the tackle a bit harsh? Yes. Could it have led to a massive injury? Maybe. So one fan called out, “Dude should be suspended for sure. That was so dirty.” One fan went serious as they called for Ryan Day’s involvement.

“If Ryan Day doesn’t send the B1G film of Northwestern’s Robert Fitzgerald #6 cranking Smith’s ankle after the tackle, he’s not doing his job. There’s no dirtier play in football than trying to injure a player after the whistle. should be suspended by the league,” the fan wrote. Yet another one wrote, “This needs review and consequences @bigten @NCAAFootball.”

Day has already sent out his certificate for Smith after he broke Carter’s school record. “He’s getting stronger. He’s getting more experience. He’s understanding of coverages and different things. Great to see him break a record,” Day had said.

But what we do know is Smith is going to be back on that turf real soon and continue his journey of breaking records of the Buckeyes. Meanwhile, Smith is keeping his spree of one-handed catches alive.

He appeared to make another phenomenal one-handed catch against the Northwestern Wildcats, but unfortunately, it was overturned. Smith laid out for an incredible grab in the end zone, seeming to give Ohio State an early lead over Northwestern, but the pass was ultimately ruled incomplete.

It was very close, and at first look, it seemed like Smith had the ball corralled. But upon further review, you can see the ball hit the ground. Although it was an incredibly tight call, it doesn’t nullify the fact that Smith made yet another spectacular play on a ball.

One fan took things to a new height by mentioning Fitzgerald directly and calling him out. “@Robert_Fitz18 did this. He’s a dirty player and a POS,” they wrote on X. Finally one last fan shared an image of The Sopranos with a direct threat as the caption. “6 on Northwestern watch out Dawg we coming,” they wrote. Yeah, Robert Fitzgerald should probably sleep with one eye open for the next few days.

And as that entire debate continues, why don’t you tune in for the latest Think Tank episode from EssentiallySports?