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Ohio State might have taken down Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals on their championship run in January, but star freshman Jeremiah Smith isn’t satisfied. The dynamic receiver who terrorized defenses all season was completely bottled up against the Longhorns — managing just one catch for three yards in his worst showing of the year. With Texas heading to Columbus for the 2025 season opener, Smith’s looking for redemption.
“I’m definitely hyped about this one, especially with how things went last year — things people saying about me, about that game I had last year,” Smith said. “I’m definitely hungry for this one, for sure.”
It wasn’t luck that slowed down the All-American wideout. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian recently revealed that neutralizing Smith was the cornerstone of their semifinal strategy — and they’re planning the same approach for their August 30 showdown.
The Longhorns’ focus on Smith came with tradeoffs.
While they successfully contained the freshman phenom, other Buckeyes stepped up. Carnell Tate and Emeka Egbuka combined for 12 receptions and 128 yards, while tight end Gee Scott Jr. posted a career-best five catches. Despite these vulnerabilities, Sarkisian isn’t changing his philosophy.
“I do think, at the end of the day, that’s where your attention needs to be,” Sarkisian said on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” “Ideally, you’ve got multiple people with eyes on him and guarding him, but you still have to play great team defense, and you’ve gotta have the ability to stop the run, and you’ve gotta cover the two other wideouts they have… but you better know where No. 4 is at all times.”
Such defensive obsession highlights Smith’s extraordinary talent. The nation’s top-ranked recruit in the 2024 class didn’t just meet expectations — he shattered them. Smith dominated the Big Ten with a conference-leading 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Throughout his freshman campaign, analysts couldn’t help comparing him to NFL greats, particularly Julio Jones in his prime.
The Buckeyes haven’t named their starting quarterback yet (three former blue-chip recruits are still battling it out in camp), but that hasn’t dampened Smith’s Heisman outlook. Despite the QB uncertainty, oddsmakers love his chances — he currently sits with the fourth-best Heisman Trophy odds at +1100.
