Smith to Heisman voters after record day: 'I'm the best player in the country' — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Jeremiah Smith set Ohio State team records with 207 career receptions (surpassing Emeka Egbuka's 205) and 36 career touchdown catches (eclipsing Chris Olave's 35) in the 31-14 win over No. 14 Iowa at Kinnick Stadium.
- Smith posted 200+ receiving yards and 2+ touchdowns in each of his past two games, becoming the first FBS player to accomplish that since Indiana's Ty Fryfogle and Mississippi State's Elijah Moore did it in 2020.
- Smith delivered a 57-yard third-quarter touchdown where he struck the Heisman pose, and added a 54-yard catch through triple coverage that coach Ryan Day called "a ridiculous catch" on a play Smith said surprised him.
- Per ESPN Research, Smith's fourth career game with 150+ receiving yards and a receiving touchdown against an AP top-15 opponent tied Alabama's Heisman-winning DeVonta Smith for the most by any FBS player in the past 30 years.
- Smith became the first Big Ten player to record 750+ receiving yards and 9+ receiving touchdowns in the first five games of a season since former Ohio State star Terry Glenn hit those marks in 1995.
- Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz compared Smith's impact to former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, saying of the matchup: "he's a great player."
- Ohio State earned its first road win of the season after falling at Texas on Sept. 12, with Smith drawing comparisons to Randy Moss and other iconic college receivers.
Why it matters: Smith now sits as the Heisman Trophy front-runner with statistical benchmarks not matched by any FBS player in 30 years and the first Big Ten receiver to hit his five-game totals since 1995. His open declaration of "best player in the country" — paired with Ohio State's first road win — gives Heisman voters a player who is both producing historically and making the case himself.
Ask SkimNews
