Jami Jurich
Guest
Is it too early to put Jeremiah Smith on Heisman watch?
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
The true freshman wide receiver is already putting up numbers that compare with past finalists.
Since the Buckeyes had the week off, I’ve had a lot of time on my hands to start running through somewhat-outrageous-but-not-entirely-out-of-the-realm-of-possibility hypotheticals, this time by way of Ohio State’s freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith.
I’ve seen enough: It’s time to start talking about Smith’s Heisman prospects. Despite the Buckeyes having only played two games so far this season, the wide receiver has put up numbers that warrant being included in the conversation, no matter how unlikely it is that he’ll actually earn an invite to New York later this year.
Before Smith ever stepped onto the football field this season, the hype surrounding him was enormous, so much so that it almost felt like there had to be a catch.
Instead, in just two weeks of football, Smith has proved he’s not as good as everyone expected him to be — he’s better.
Smith, a true freshman in a wide receiving corps full of exceptional talent including Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate, is blowing past his more experienced counterparts, leading the team in receiving yards with 211 yards on 11 receptions, including a 70-yard touchdown catch, and averaging 19.2 yards per reception.
He’s currently second in the Big Ten in receiving yards behind only Tai Felton from Maryland. If you compare Smith’s numbers to wide receivers in the SEC (the media and voters’ favorite darling of conferences), only Ole Miss’s Tre Harris has more yards, and Haris has an extra game to his name due to the Buckeyes’ bye week.
Smith also currently ranks in the top 25 receivers in terms of yardage across all conferences, again in many cases compared to guys who have played an extra game.
Of course, we won’t really have a true understanding of what Smith can do until he faces a ranked opponent, so only time will tell how he measures up to more challenging tests and how they impact his performance and numbers. However, as it stands currently, Smith has been touted as a “once-in-a-generation” talent, and he’s looked every bit the part.
Sports analysts, and even other players, have remarked that he’s the best wide receiver in the country right now. But it takes both the finesse and some intangible magic, as well as numbers on paper to skyrocket into Heisman chatter—Smith has both.
To give some additional context for just how impressive Smith has looked, consider Heisman finalist (and one of the best Ohio State wide receivers in history) Marvin Harrison Jr.’s numbers after just two games last season—his Heisman finalist year.
Through two games, Marv had 178 yards on 9 receptions and two touchdowns.
Harrison finished the season with 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns on 67 receptions, for an average of 18.1 yards per reception.
Smith is on the trajectory to put up similar numbers (though there will likely be a difference in the end-of-season stats because of the longer season).
Meanwhile, several of the players across the NCAA who were predicted to be Heisman finalists have yet to show us that caliber play. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel put up great numbers in Week 1, but the team has struggled against mediocre opponents. He looked better this week, but he’ll need to do more than he’s currently doing to impress the committee. No. 1 Georgia quarterback Carson Beck threw for only 160 yards against Kentucky, an unranked team the Bulldogs were expected to blow out.
It’s true that the committee tends to favor quarterbacks over position players, and there are still a wealth of great quarterbacks to choose from. I also don’t think it’s likely that Smith will get an invite to New York in his freshman season (I do, however, think it’s very likely that he gets one before leaving college).
But despite all the hype, if you’d have asked me over the summer whether we’d be talking about Smith’s Heisman prospects two weeks in, I’d have laughed in your face. I thought it more likely that quarterback Will Howard would sneak into the conversation, whether or not he ultimately made the cut.
But Smith is putting up numbers that cannot be ignored, at least right now, and if he continues to do exactly what he’s been doing, business as usual? It’s probably time to start talking about it.
Continue reading...
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
The true freshman wide receiver is already putting up numbers that compare with past finalists.
Since the Buckeyes had the week off, I’ve had a lot of time on my hands to start running through somewhat-outrageous-but-not-entirely-out-of-the-realm-of-possibility hypotheticals, this time by way of Ohio State’s freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith.
I’ve seen enough: It’s time to start talking about Smith’s Heisman prospects. Despite the Buckeyes having only played two games so far this season, the wide receiver has put up numbers that warrant being included in the conversation, no matter how unlikely it is that he’ll actually earn an invite to New York later this year.
Before Smith ever stepped onto the football field this season, the hype surrounding him was enormous, so much so that it almost felt like there had to be a catch.
Instead, in just two weeks of football, Smith has proved he’s not as good as everyone expected him to be — he’s better.
Smith, a true freshman in a wide receiving corps full of exceptional talent including Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate, is blowing past his more experienced counterparts, leading the team in receiving yards with 211 yards on 11 receptions, including a 70-yard touchdown catch, and averaging 19.2 yards per reception.
He’s currently second in the Big Ten in receiving yards behind only Tai Felton from Maryland. If you compare Smith’s numbers to wide receivers in the SEC (the media and voters’ favorite darling of conferences), only Ole Miss’s Tre Harris has more yards, and Haris has an extra game to his name due to the Buckeyes’ bye week.
Smith also currently ranks in the top 25 receivers in terms of yardage across all conferences, again in many cases compared to guys who have played an extra game.
Of course, we won’t really have a true understanding of what Smith can do until he faces a ranked opponent, so only time will tell how he measures up to more challenging tests and how they impact his performance and numbers. However, as it stands currently, Smith has been touted as a “once-in-a-generation” talent, and he’s looked every bit the part.
Sports analysts, and even other players, have remarked that he’s the best wide receiver in the country right now. But it takes both the finesse and some intangible magic, as well as numbers on paper to skyrocket into Heisman chatter—Smith has both.
Jeremiah Smith, you are ridiculous
Watch the speed from the true freshman on this @OhioStateFB TD #B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/Pupn61dWoW
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 8, 2024
To give some additional context for just how impressive Smith has looked, consider Heisman finalist (and one of the best Ohio State wide receivers in history) Marvin Harrison Jr.’s numbers after just two games last season—his Heisman finalist year.
Through two games, Marv had 178 yards on 9 receptions and two touchdowns.
Harrison finished the season with 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns on 67 receptions, for an average of 18.1 yards per reception.
Smith is on the trajectory to put up similar numbers (though there will likely be a difference in the end-of-season stats because of the longer season).
Meanwhile, several of the players across the NCAA who were predicted to be Heisman finalists have yet to show us that caliber play. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel put up great numbers in Week 1, but the team has struggled against mediocre opponents. He looked better this week, but he’ll need to do more than he’s currently doing to impress the committee. No. 1 Georgia quarterback Carson Beck threw for only 160 yards against Kentucky, an unranked team the Bulldogs were expected to blow out.
It’s true that the committee tends to favor quarterbacks over position players, and there are still a wealth of great quarterbacks to choose from. I also don’t think it’s likely that Smith will get an invite to New York in his freshman season (I do, however, think it’s very likely that he gets one before leaving college).
But despite all the hype, if you’d have asked me over the summer whether we’d be talking about Smith’s Heisman prospects two weeks in, I’d have laughed in your face. I thought it more likely that quarterback Will Howard would sneak into the conversation, whether or not he ultimately made the cut.
But Smith is putting up numbers that cannot be ignored, at least right now, and if he continues to do exactly what he’s been doing, business as usual? It’s probably time to start talking about it.
Continue reading...