Speaking of Smith, Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt recently made a bold claim about the star wideout, declaring him the best player in college football.
“The best player in college football for next year — I think we can all say this together, by the way — is Jeremiah Smith, the wide receiver for Ohio State. Never seen anything like this. I played against Adrian Peterson when he was a true freshman at Oklahoma. Those are the only guys I have ever seen — and I’ve been around this sport my entire life — those are the only two guys I’ve ever seen that I was like, ‘Yeah, they could have played, and not only played but succeeded in the National Football League out of high school.’ Smith is one of those guys.
“Very rarely do we see a player come in with all the hype that Smith had and not only live up to it but exceed expectations. He was the best player on the field at all times last year,” Klatt said. “It didn’t matter who they were playing. When I would talk with opposing coaches and bring up, ‘What’s your plan for Smith?’ they would look at me and say, ‘There’s not really a plan. You can’t really have a plan.’
Smith posted over 1,300 receiving yards as a true freshman, playing alongside first-round pick Emeka Egbuka and potentially another future first-rounder in Carnell Tate. The star wideout was the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class — and that ranking couldn’t have played out any better.
Klatt also had a message for college football fans when it comes to appreciating Smith’s rare talent.
“I think that we need to, collectively as a college football community — and I understand that we are tribal in this community and we hate the things that others have — but I don’t care, unless you’re a Michigan fan and you just can’t. I want us to enjoy, for the next couple of years, getting to watch this guy play college football,” Klatt said. “That’s what I’m gonna do. He’s the best college football player I’ve ever seen.”
He’s the only guy I can sit there and think to myself, ‘Man, if he continues to keep his head on straight and keeps working, he can and will develop — and he’s got the talent to be one of the best of all time.’”
Smith has only one full college season and one offseason under his belt, but the hype is at an all-time high — and for good reason. The star wideout carries himself the right way, trains the right way, eats the right way — he simply breathes football. Ohio State fans get to enjoy two more seasons of him, and college football fans across the country should join them in appreciating a truly generational talent.
Leave a Reply