True freshman. That tag just doesn’t invoke the name of Jeremiah Smith. The 6’3, 215-pound wide receiver plays years beyond his age, as evidenced by his soaring draft stock. Jeremiah has had a season for the ages at Ohio State (7-1). His coaches and peers wax lyrical about the growth he’s shown in such a short span. Both on and off the gridiron. Jeremiah concurs and credits his disposition to his upbringing.

Jeremiah Smith has taken like a duck to water at Ohio State. The 18-year-old has taken on the mantle of Marvin Harrison Jr seamlessly. His OC Chip Kelly, who knows a thing or two about the pros, said he feels like he’s coaching a “10-year NFL veteran”. Amidst the praise and reverence, Jeremiah remains grounded. He let up on how it’s his parents that set him up for the rewards he’s reaping.

In an interview with Buckeyes’ reporter Stephanie Otey, WR1 said, “It’s just the way that I was raised and everything like that. Just this maturity that I have [from] the way my parents raised me. It’s the way I go about things. I don’t go about things as a freshman. I think I’m a senior, which I’m not”. Smith is averaging more than 10 yards per catch in every game this season. If that stat is intriguing, the list of his feats is extensive.

Jeremiah is statistically having the best freshman season in Buckeyes history. He’s broken the school’s freshman record for receiving yards with 678, previously held by HOFer Cris Carter since 1984. More so, he has equalled Carter’s freshman record for receiving touchdowns with 8. He shall go way past that number by the end of the season.

Aiding Jeremiah during his unprecedented run have been two other cogs in the wheel, which is the Buckeyes’ offense. The wide receiving core is easily one of, if not the best, in the country. Jeremiah spoke glowingly about his comrades’ input, saying, “I’ll really say Emeka [Egbuka] is a real reason why I’m having the season that I’m having. Him and Carnell [Tate] just help me a lot out there with knowing plays that we’re running and everything like that. Just understanding defense and stuff like that”. The 3 will be seeking to continue their escapades against the Purdue Boilermakers (1-7) on Saturday.

Jeremiah and co. faced with a bit of a blessing on Saturday

Jeremiah had a bit of an off-day in Happy Valley last week. He put up, by his standards, a lowly 55 yards and didn’t get to the endzone. This was the only time all season that he didn’t score a touchdown. Ohio State still managed to win in a massive spot to keep on the heels of Indiana and Oregon in the B1G.

Jeremiah would welcome facing a Purdue team floundering at the bottom of the conference. The team is massively leaky on defense, and the Buckeyes will be chomping at the bit to stuff the stat columns. They have let up about 37 points, including 243 yards through the air, per game.

Ohio State is firmly in the race to make it to the conference championship game, and the No. 2 team in the CFP rankings has its sights set on the national championship. Oddsmakers have the Buckeyes at -38 in Columbus on Saturday, as for Jeremiah Smith, a bounce back performance beckons.