Tim Tebow’s first impression of Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith included comparing him to an NFL great
Ohio State has an argument for having the most impressive player in college football and the bad news for the opposition is that he is just a freshman. Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has hit the ground running in a big way for the Buckeyes, still, no one inside the building is impressed. Through two […]
Ohio State has an argument for having the most impressive player in college football and the bad news for the opposition is that he is just a freshman.
Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has hit the ground running in a big way for the Buckeyes, still, no one inside the building is impressed.
Through two games, the former No. 1 overall recruit has 11 catches for 211 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Smith has 92 and 119 yards in each of his first two games.
Recently, college football great Tim Tebow shared his first encounter with Smith from back in fall camp and it went like many others who came away surprised. Tebow even compared Smith to a figure member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“I was at practice during fall camp, and I was like, ‘What? This is a joke.’ This kid is so gifted,” Tebow said to On3. “I know this sounds like a lot, and I don’t mean for it to be hyperbole, but I remember going against Julio Jones freshman year, and that was the first name that came to my brain when I watched.
“I thought, ‘Whoo, he reminds me of Julio.’ And I don’t put a lot of people in Julio’s category. I have very few. Him, A.J. Green, and a couple of others. That’s not many. But that’s who I thought of. He still has a lot of room to get to Julio status, but that was the first name I thought of.”
Smith is a big-bodied wideout who is physically imposing, so the comparisons to Jones are not so far-fetched on the surface. Smith was more than college-ready when he came in at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds.
Right away at Ohio State, Smith has made his mark as Will Howard’s top option and it happened right away in the first game. The competition is going to get tougher and that is what will make what Smith is doing look more impressive. He is well on track to break every freshman receiving record at Ohio State.
Freshmen don’t star at Ohio State often at all, especially at the wide receiver position. What Smith is doing is special and he is already being compared to greats along the way.
