Texas Longhorns star makes bold statement about Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith that Buckeye Nation will appreciate
The Buckeyes star is garnering respect from the Texas Longhorns ahead of the season opener.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are opening the season at home with a tough opponent — a rematch of last year’s College Football Playoff showdown. Ohio State will need to be locked in early when Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns come to town.
The Buckeyes’ 28–14 win over Texas last season is in the rearview mirror, and the focus is now entirely on the 2025 team. Ohio State will feature plenty of new faces, including at quarterback, where Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz are battling for the starting job. The former Alabama transfer, Sayin, is considered the favorite.
In the lead-up to this highly anticipated game, one of Texas’ top defenders is showing serious respect to Ohio State’s biggest star. There’s no bulletin-board material here — just praise.
“Man, what he does on that football field, it doesn’t seem like a real human [is] doing that because he’s just so unique, he’s inspirational, and (he has) all the talent,” Texas safety Michael Taaffe said of Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith at SEC Media Days. “He’s still only 19 years old. It’s gonna be really fun going against him because he’s a freak of nature. I’ve watched a lot of his routes — almost all of them, dang near, from last season. Seeing how he gets in and out of routes, seeing how he runs full speed, seeing how he stacks DBs… and one of the best things about him, one of his attributes, is going up and getting the football.”
You can put three DBs on him, but if you put it up in the air, he’s gonna go get it — which is really cool.”
Smith only had one catch for three yards in last season’s matchup with Texas — something he’s determined to change this time around. The Buckeyes will undoubtedly lean on their star sophomore big in Week 1, and Texas knows it.
“I’m definitely hyped about this one, especially after how things went last year,” Smith recently admitted. “All the things people have been saying about me, about the game I had last year… I’m definitely hungry for this one.”
Taaffe is a standout defender in his own right and could be an early-round draft pick next April. Game respects game — and when the Buckeyes and Longhorns square off to start the 2025 season, it’s shaping up to be a clash between two of the most talented rosters in college football.
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