Even for "wide receiver U," Ohio State wideout Jeremiah Smith is something special. He's about to take a career record only a couple of games into his third season. Smith currently sits just 25 yards behind Michael Jenkins for the all-time record for receiving yards at Ohio State, the Big Ten conference shared on social media.
Smith's very likely to add to his current tally of 2,873 and bypass Jenkins' record 2,898 early in Saturday's matchup with the Kent State Golden Flashes. After all, Smith averages 92.7 receiving yards per game. By some counts, though, Smith is already past Jenkins and is the school record holder.
The Buckeyes retroactively counted Jenkins' 152-yard performance in the 2002 Outback Bowl against the South Carolina Gamecocks, which occurred the season before the NCAA began including bowl game performances in stats. Without that game, Jenkins is at 2,746 yards, a figure already overtaken by Emeka Egbuka's 2,868 yards between 2021 and 2024. Smith is already passed Egbuka, even if it's just by five yards, and it seems Jenkins is almost definitely next.
Smith is almost assuredly heading to the NFL after this season, but he's likely to leave a legacy that may never be caught. With more than 2,500 receiving yards in his first two seasons, he's on pace to finish with more than 3,800 for his career — about 1,000 yards clear of the next best receiver in Ohio State history. Given that 1,000 yards is the benchmark for a successful season, it seems insane to think that he'd be caught within three seasons by any receivers who follow in his footsteps at Ohio State.
That said, Smith's 3,800 yards wouldn't even put him in the top 30 of the FBS — and one of those players ahead of him only played three seasons. Troy Edwards' 4,352 yards for Louisiana Tech in 1996, 1997 and 1998 may never be caught. He led all of FBS in receiving yards twice, and he averaged 128 receiving yards per game over his three years.
He also scored 30 touchdowns from scrimmage in his final collegiate season, a truly jaw-dropping number. Smith's best season in that regard was his freshman campaign, in which he scored 16 times. Sounds like Smith still has a goal to shoot for, even after taking Jenkins' record.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
