Ohio State’s junior star just tied a school record that had stood for 31 years. NFL scouts already knew his name. After Saturday, more of them are asking a bigger question.
No wide receiver has gone No. 1 overall since the New York Jets took USC’s Keyshawn Johnson in 1996. Positional value still favors quarterbacks. But franchise-altering talent is supposed to change that conversation. Jeremiah Smith is forcing it.
The game that changed the argument
No. 7 Ohio State beat Illinois 42-19 in the Big Ten opener at Ohio Stadium. Smith finished with 12 catches, 217 yards, and four touchdowns — all career highs.
That four-touchdown game tied the Ohio State single-game record previously reached by Bob Grimes (1952), Terry Glenn (1995), Dane Sanzenbacher (2010), and Noah Brown (2016). Smith also became the first Buckeye ever to post double-digit catches, 200-plus yards, and four scores in the same game.
Three of the touchdowns came before halftime: a 7-yard fade, a 72-yard go-route where he made a safety miss, and a 9-yard toe-tap. He capped it with a 26-yard score in the fourth quarter to make it 35-13.
Ryan Day did not hedge afterward: “If there’s a better player in the country, it’s hard to imagine.”
Julian Sayin was the other half of the show — 27-of-36 for 367 yards, four passing touchdowns, and a rushing score. Smith still stole the afternoon.
The records already broken — and the ones next
One week earlier, against Kent State, Smith passed Michael Jenkins (2,898 yards) to become Ohio State’s all-time receiving yards leader. After Illinois he sits at 3,175 career yards, 196 receptions, and 34 touchdowns in 33 games.
Still in reach:
- Emeka Egbuka’s career receptions record (205)
- Chris Olave’s career receiving touchdowns record (35)
Smith is two scores from passing Olave and about 10 catches from Egbuka. He is also one of the few Big Ten players ever with 3,000 yards and 30-plus receiving touchdowns.
Why NFL teams are watching every snap
Smith is listed around 6-foot-4 and 224 pounds. That size shows up on fades and contested catches. The Illinois tape also showed the part scouts love more: route detail, a double-move that spun a safety, and the ability to finish after the catch.
Through four games in 2026 he has 33 receptions, 617 yards, and seven touchdowns. That includes eight catches for 164 yards and a score in the 24-23 loss at Texas — proof the production is not just against weaker secondaries.
He won a national title as a freshman, was a unanimous All-American as a sophomore, and is now a Heisman name as a junior. The draft class of 2027 is still months away (April 29–May 1 in Washington). The tape is already loud.
Can a wide receiver actually go No. 1?
History says no. Teams with the first pick usually take a quarterback. That logic is real. So is this: if a club already has a quarterback and is staring at a once-a-decade receiver, the board can move.
Smith does not have to go No. 1 to be a top-five or top-10 lock. The Illinois game simply made the ceiling conversation public. A player who keeps stacking 150-yard halves and school records is not a “best available at 8” prospect. He is a “do we pass on this?” prospect.
What comes next
Ohio State is 3-1 and 1-0 in the Big Ten after the Texas loss and the Illinois rebound. Smith will keep seeing brackets, doubles, and safety help. That is the next test: production when every defense builds the plan around No. 4.
The Sunday conversation is already here. Kids who will be playing on Sundays do not usually look like this in September of their junior year. Jeremiah Smith just did and he tied a 31-year-old Ohio State record while doing it.
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