Jeremiah Smith Might Already Be the Greatest Buckeye Ever

There are certain opinions about Ohio State football that almost feel untouchable.

Archie Griffin is the greatest Buckeye ever.

Or maybe it’s Orlando Pace.

Those have always been the two names I come back to when the conversation turns to the greatest football player ever to wear scarlet and gray. Archie is the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in college football history. Pace was so dominant at left tackle that an offensive lineman became one of the biggest stars in the sport.

For years, I thought those two existed on a level nobody else could realistically reach.

I’m starting to wonder if I was wrong.

Because Jeremiah Smith might be the greatest football player Ohio State has ever had.

And I don’t think that statement is nearly as crazy as it would have sounded two years ago.

Smith’s performance against Iowa was just the latest reminder that we are watching something Ohio State football has rarely, if ever, seen. He didn’t simply have another productive afternoon. He continued dismantling a record book that was built by some of the greatest receivers ever to come through Columbus.

At this point, calling Jeremiah Smith a great wide receiver feels almost inadequate.

Ohio State has had great wide receivers.

Cris Carter was great. David Boston was great. Santonio Holmes was great. Michael Jenkins was great. Garrett Wilson was great. Chris Olave was great. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was great. Marvin Harrison Jr. was great.

Smith is becoming something different.

He is beginning to separate himself not only from Ohio State receivers but from Ohio State players, period.

That is where this conversation changes.

When I think about the greatest Buckeye ever, there are three things that matter to me: dominance, production and the feeling that a player is fundamentally different from everyone else on the field.

Archie Griffin had it.

Orlando Pace had it.

Jeremiah Smith absolutely has it.

Archie Griffin remains the most decorated player in Ohio State history. Two Heisman Trophies is the kind of accomplishment that almost sounds fictional today. Nobody has done it since. He became the face of an era of Ohio State football and remains one of the most recognizable Buckeyes in history.

That résumé may never be matched.

But being the most decorated player and being the greatest football player are not necessarily the same argument.

Then there is Orlando Pace.

If someone told me Pace was the greatest Buckeye ever, I wouldn’t argue very hard.

He was terrifyingly dominant.

An offensive tackle finished fourth in Heisman voting. Just think about that. Pace wasn’t simply considered the best offensive lineman in college football. He was considered one of the best football players in America, regardless of position.

He overwhelmed people.

He changed games from left tackle.

He was so dominant that an offensive lineman became appointment television.

That’s nearly impossible.

But when I watch Jeremiah Smith, I see that same kind of inevitability.

Everybody knows he’s getting the football.

Everybody knows Ohio State is going to look for him in critical situations.

Defenses build coverage around him. Safeties shade toward him. Corners get help over the top. Coaches spend an entire week trying to figure out how to keep No. 4 from wrecking their game plan.

And then the ball goes up anyway.

Smith comes down with it.

That is greatness.

There are times when Smith almost seems unfair. He looks like a professional receiver playing against college defensive backs. He has the size of a dominant possession receiver, the speed to destroy defenses vertically, the body control to make catches outside his frame and the physical strength to turn contested balls into plays that don’t feel particularly contested.

There doesn’t appear to be a weakness.

That’s what makes this different for me.

We’ve seen Ohio State players put up enormous numbers before. We’ve seen future NFL stars come through Columbus before. We’ve seen Heisman winners, national champions, first-round picks and College Football Hall of Famers.

I don’t know if we’ve ever seen someone who looked this inevitable this early.

And that last part matters.

Jeremiah Smith didn’t need three years to become this player.

He walked onto campus looking like one of the best players in college football.

Then he somehow got better.

Now records that took legendary Ohio State receivers entire careers to build are falling.

This isn’t projection anymore.

This is happening.

There will be people who say you cannot put Smith ahead of Griffin because Archie won two Heismans.

That’s fair.

There will be people who say Pace dominated his position more completely than any Buckeye ever has.

That’s fair too.

But football isn’t played on a museum wall.

At some point, we have to be willing to look at what is happening in front of us instead of automatically giving every historical argument to the legends of the past.

And what is happening in front of us is extraordinary.

If you asked me today to name the three greatest football players in Ohio State history, my list begins with Archie Griffin, Orlando Pace and Jeremiah Smith.

But I’m beginning to think the order might eventually have to change.

In fact, I’m beginning to wonder if it already should.

Smith still has football left to play. He still has opportunities to add championships, individual awards, records and signature moments to his résumé.

But maybe that’s what makes the argument so incredible.

We’re discussing whether he’s the greatest Buckeye ever and his story isn’t even finished.

Think about that.

Archie Griffin gave Ohio State two Heismans.

Orlando Pace gave Ohio State perhaps the greatest offensive lineman college football has ever seen.

Jeremiah Smith is giving us something different: a player who looks like he might be the most naturally gifted, complete and unstoppable football player Ohio State has ever put on a field.

That’s a massive statement.

I’m comfortable making it.

For most of my life, if someone asked me who the greatest Buckeye ever was, the conversation started with Archie Griffin and Orlando Pace.

It still does.

But it no longer ends there.

Because Jeremiah Smith hasn’t just joined the conversation.

He may eventually end it.