Jeremiah Smith's flashy first impression continues among Ohio State football teammates
INDIANAPOLIS — Jack Sawyer understands the pressure of being a five-star recruit.
Sawyer, a senior defensive end from Pickerington, was one of the top prospects in the 2021 recruiting class when he signed with Ohio State three and a half years ago.
The experience left him with some perspective as he prepared to see Jeremiah Smith , the Buckeyes’ much-ballyhooed freshman wide receiver from South Florida , make his debut in spring practice in March.
“Having been in his shoes,” Sawyer said, “I just wanted to see him practice a couple of times.”
It did not take long for Smith, who was the top-ranked overall prospect in his class , to dazzle Sawyer.
“I saw him for the first time at the first practice and I was like, ‘Holy s---, this kid’s good,’ ” Sawyer said. “He’s a great young player. He’s got a great future ahead of him. He’s got a great head on his shoulders. Very humble kid. Whatever he gets, he’s earned and he’s worked for.”
The Buckeyes have had no shortage of premier receiving talent in recent seasons, the most notable being Marvin Harrison Jr., who last fall captured the Biletnikoff Award as the top pass catcher in the nation and became their fourth wideout in three years to end up being selected in the first round of the NFL draft .
But none of those receivers started as freshmen, a possibility that awaits Smith this year as the Buckeyes returned only one starter at the position from last season with Emeka Egbuka.
As several teammates appeared at the Big Ten’s media days on Tuesday , they remained impressed with Smith’s transition to Ohio State.
Cornerback Denzel Burke said he considers matchups with Smith to be among the most competitive.
“He has a little bit of Marv in him and he’s only a freshman now,” Burke said, “so imagine what he’s going to be like in his third year. It’s going to be nuts.”
Egbuka also pointed to Smith’s work ethic.
“He’s very about his business, a very professional kid,” Egbuka said. “That’s what’s most impressive about him. He’s the prototypical wide receiver that you’d want, but he’s mature beyond his years. You don’t really have to get on him too much. He’s going to keep himself humble. That’s what I love about him.”
The Buckeyes’ lone representative to temper expectations a bit was coach Ryan Day.
“It’s easy to see how talented he is,” Day said. “The thing you already recognize is that he’s good at the no-talent things as well. But I’m going to hold off comments until he plays his first snap.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @ joeyrkaufman or email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com .
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith continues to make flashy first impression
