Pressure Mounts on Jeremiah Smith Amid OSU’s Mass Exodus as Ryan Day Sends Clear Message to Brian Hartline

“I don’t really feel pressure,” Jeremiah Smith said last year as he announced himself to the college football world. The true freshman wide receiver helped OSU to a win over Akron in the season opener with six receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns. This was just the beginning of an incredible season for Smith, who, a decade earlier, was sobbing in front of his father after being cut from his school team. With 1,315 receiving yards at a stellar average of 17.3 (yards per reception) and 15 touchdowns, Smith led the Buckeyes to the national title. But, the question now is: Can he deliver the same in the upcoming season as well?

While Smith’s statement after his first game for OSU about not feeling pressure defines his mindset, the challenge will be different in his second season. The Buckeyes are still ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s way-too-early rankings for the next season, but after winning the national championship, OSU is going through an upheaval of its roster, and that is where things could get complicated.

Even though Smith and two-time All-American safety Caleb Downs are returning, the inexperience and the loss of talent around them raise questions. This is what Joe Deleone discussed as he talked about the changes at Ohio State and how a new QB and a new coach might affect Smith’s production.

Speaking on the ‘Ruffino & Joe Show’ on Monday, Deleone brought up a slight concern that Ryan Day and specifically Jeremiah Smith may face in the 2025 season. “Last year, Jeremiah Smith was the number one option, but did not need to be. Because they had TreVeyon Henderson, they had Quinshon Judkins, they had Emeka Egbuka, and Carnell Tate, whom they did get production out of. This upcoming year, you have a new quarterback, and you are a lot more depleted with options.”

What Joe Deleone is essentially trying to say is that various players in the RB and WR room won’t be there in 2025, which will create more pressure on Jeremiah Smith to deliver regularly, which wasn’t necessarily the case last season. TreVeyon Henderson, who had an incredible season as he produced 1,016 rushing yards with 284 receiving yards, is headed to the NFL draft, so is fellow running back Quinshon Judkins, who produced 1,000+ rushing yards along with 161 receiving yards. Moreover, the program’s leading receiver, Emeka Egbuka is also on his way out after a 1,000+ receiving yards season.

On the defense, players like Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, and Denzel Burke are also off to the draft, among others, which again leaves Ryan Day short of experienced options.

OSU will also have redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin replace Will Howard. Sayin appeared in four games last season, throwing for 84 yards with a touchdown, but his development could be a big learning curve after the departure of offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who was replaced by Brian Hartline. A lot of responsibility will fall on Smith, and it will be interesting to see how he does under Hartline, who is also the team’s WR coach.

“And you also have the wide receivers coach who’s calling plays in Brian Hartline. So you’re now in this position you need to rely on Jeremiah Smith, in order to produce success. Because I don‘t know right now who for certain is going to be those next big options outside of Carnell Tate,” Deleone pointed out.

Tate is the only other experienced WR on the roster. During the 2024 season, he caught 52 passes for 733 yards and four touchdowns and had seven catches for 87 yards in OSU’s win over Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Brandon Iniss is also another player who could step up and provide that solid backup option. But, he hasn’t seen that many snaps and was involved sparsely in the 2024 season. However, if his game against Penn State is any guide to his talents, then surely he looks good, as his lone touchdown guided Ohio State to a win on the road.

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There would be some freshman additions too in Quincy Porter (WR), ranked 3rd WR in the 2025 class, Bodpegn Miller (WR), and De’zie Jones (WR). These players do look good, especially Quincy Porter. However, there can’t be enough said about their transition and ability levels at this point in time. Since their involvement will be contingent on their performing well in the spring practices. Hence, the onus will be on Smith to lead the charge at WR. According to Blake Ruffino, Smith’s productivity could be affected.

“I do think his production can fall when you’re going to a first-time starting quarterback. I do think that you can have situations where, by the way, you have a new offensive coordinator and a new defensive coordinator with a lot of turnover in a lot of different situations,” he mentioned. It will be interesting to see how Smith does with an inexperienced roster around him and whether the pressure will get to him eventually. In the meantime, Ryan Day is well aware of the challenge and is already setting the record straight.

Ryan Day makes feelings clear on Brian Hartline’s task

Brian Hartline has now become the new offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes. A wide receivers coach initially who has been on OSU’s staff since 2017. Last season, he was demoted to the wide receivers coach for the incoming Chip Kelly. After he served as OC for one season in 2023, however, Ryan Day called the games primarily. Now that he has become an OC, questions are being raised about whether he can do the same job that Chip Kelly did with Ohio State.

After a week into the spring practices, Ryan Day made clear what he expects from his new OC. “It’s different than just calling a play like it was in the past,” Ryan Day said. “Now you’re actually saying it to the quarterback, and that’s something that Chip did every single day, whether it was a walkthrough or it was at practice. And I think that’s something we need to continue as much as we can. One of the things we talked about was having enough interaction with the quarterbacks so that he does know and he’s on the same page”.

What Ryan Day wants from his OC is coordination and being in sync with the quarterbacks. Not just sit in the OC box and deliver instructions. The goal is to be the second mind of the quarterback. Constantly delivering play calls and strategies that go beyond normal playbooks. If Hartline can do just that, then Chip Kelly’s departure will surely not hurt. And his work with the receivers will also reap benefits in the long run.