WATCH: Why PFF ranks Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith as top returning CFB player

USA Today

15-07-2025

I know it. You know it. Your twice-removed cousin from your long-lost brother (not sure that's a thing) knows it. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith is the best player in college football entering 2025. Pro Football Focus also agrees when it ranked the rising sophomore atop its list of top 50 college football players this offseason.
And while these things are somewhat subjective, despite stats that are available because of the level of competition, eye-test, etc., it's hard to argue there's a better football player coming to a stadium near you this fall. But what goes into such a ranking? Well, we're glad you asked because the fine folks at PFF decided to put their name on the line and provide some commentary on what makes Smith the best player in college football, and it's hard for even Michigan fans to argue against.
"Jeremiah Smith now joins Trevor Lawrence (former Clemson quarterback) as the only true sophomores in PFF history that have entered the year as the No. 1 player in the PFF College 50," said PFF. "If he was drafted in this past draft -- if he was eligible -- he would have gone no lower than No. 4. You talk about living up to the hype, you're talking about on the level of Julio Jones, and A.J. Green, and Calvin Johnson, and guys who went in the top five. The one-handed catches, the body control. I think my favorite thing actually -- he dropped his first career target in Week 1 against Akron -- a screen that he probably would have housed had he caught it. Didn't drop another ball the rest of the season."
Who would have thought that the Ohio State program would go from one so-called generational wide receiver with Marvin Harrison Jr. to another when Jeremiah Smith came along, but that's exactly where we are at. I said it with Harrison, and I'll say it with Smith; enjoy the ride because those types of players just don't come around very often. I know it doesn't seem like it with the run that the Buckeyes are on with the wide receiver position, but it's true.
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