Jeremiah Smith Learning To Be A Leader, Ready To Take The Next Step

Jeremiah Smith was all the talk of fall camp as a true freshman, and throughout his first year at Ohio State, he proved why he deserved that. He was one of the best receivers in college football, finishing with 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns while making highlight catch after highlight catch.

Looking at the film, it might seem like there wasn’t much of a learning curve for Smith, and to some extent there wasn’t. He was already talented enough to be the No. 1 wide receiver on the national championship winning team. But now that he has a year of experience, Smith thinks he understands the game better and will flash even more in his second year.

“Last year, certain games I would hesitate doing certain things, not really going full speed,” Smith said on Friday. “But now this year, I know what to expect and know how to do it. Being able to identify coverages, that’s the biggest thing for sure. Me and Coach (Brian) Hartline talk about knowing what I’m doing and understanding what the defense is trying to do, so this year will be better for sure.”

But another thing that comes with being a second year player is that now he’s no longer the young guy in the room, and the freshmen who joined the team in the spring and the fall are going to be looking toward Smith for guidance. Learning how to be a leader is something Smith said he has worked on as well, even though that leading might not always be verbal.

“I got a lot better at it, using my voice when I have to,” Smith said. “I’m not overdoing it because I’m not the type of person who just talks. So, I like to lead by example. I think I’m good at it.”

This new season starts with a rematch against Texas. In the Cotton Bowl last season against the Longhorns, Smith was bracketed into just one catch for 3 yards, although shutting him down wasn’t enough for Texas.

But after that game, Smith has been looking forward to opening this season against the Longhorns defense.

“I’m definitely hyped about this one, especially with how things went last year,” Smith said. “The things people are saying about me, about that game I had last year, I’m definitely hungry for this one.”