Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer made a bold statement when asked about the Buckeyes' superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Smith, in his third season with Ohio State, recently set a major record, becoming the school's all-time leader in career receiving yards, with 2,958 and counting. He officially made that history in his team's Week 3 victory over Kent State.
With that in mind, many are praising Smith as the next star receiver to leave college football and become an NFL star, joining his former teammate, Carnell Tate, now with the Tennessee Titans. Meyer was asked whether Smith has the potential to be the best receiver ever in college football history. "He certainly does," Meyer said on the "Triple Option" podcast.
"I know all those receivers. I got the chance to coach [retired NFL legend] Cris Carter in 1986, so I got to see what I thought was the best receiver I've ever seen." More news: Eli Manning Gets Honest About Arch Manning’s Holly Rowe Controversy "To say he's the best receiver in college football history. I'm biased about this, but then he's probably the best receiver in college football history," Meyer told his podcast co-hosts.
Smith's recent record-breaking performance moved him ahead of former all-time receiving yards leader, Michael Jenkins, who set the record after completing his 2003 season at Ohio State. Jenkins isn't mentioned as much among all-time great receivers, but he spent about nine years with various NFL teams after a standout Buckeyes career that made him the No. 29 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. Meyer certainly made a bold take, and while he admitted he's biased when weighing in on Smith's legacy, it's important to remember he was asked whether Smith has a chance to become college football's all-time greatest receiver.
Other players to consider in that conversation include former 2020 Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith from Alabama, who now stars for the Philadelphia Eagles. Randy Moss played at Marshall and had two very dominant seasons there before going to the professional league. Jerry Rice, another superstar college wide receiver who later retired as an NFL legend with three Super Bowl rings, recorded big numbers while playing for Mississippi Valley State.
The college football program doesn't quite have the prestige of Ohio State, a team with nine championships. Meyer led them to their first National Championship under the CFP system over 10 years ago. No. 7 Ohio State, still considered a CFP Championship contender, next plays against the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 12 p.m.
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