“WE WILL MISS YOU A LOT”: Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith Is Entering His Final Season in Columbus as Ryan Day Prepares for Life Without His Superstar

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State has spent the better part of two seasons building its offense around a receiver who was supposed to be exceptional. Jeremiah Smith turned out to be something more.

Now, the Buckeyes are preparing for the reality that their generational wide receiver is nearing the end of his time in Columbus.

Smith’s 2026 season is expected to be his final season at Ohio State before he becomes eligible for the 2027 NFL draft, where he is already viewed by many evaluators as a potential No. 1 overall selection. For Ryan Day, that makes the months ahead more than another championship pursuit. They represent the final opportunity to build an offense around one of the most productive young receivers the program has ever produced.

The timing could hardly be more significant.

Ohio State enters 2026 with national championship expectations, a returning starting quarterback in Julian Sayin and a revamped coaching structure led offensively by former NFL head coach Arthur Smith. The Buckeyes are also coming off their second consecutive College Football Playoff appearance, even though the 2025 season ended with a loss to Miami in the national semifinal.

At the center of those ambitions is Smith.

The 6-foot-3, 223-pound receiver has already produced numbers that would qualify as extraordinary for a four-year college player. Through his first two seasons, Smith accumulated 163 receptions for more than 2,550 yards and 27 touchdowns. In 2025 alone, he caught 87 passes for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns, finishing among the nation’s most productive receivers. Ohio State’s own preseason information lists him among the program’s most accomplished receiving threats.

His efficiency has been just as striking as the raw production.

Pro Football Focus gave Smith elite overall grades in each of his first two seasons and highlighted a remarkably low drop rate, while noting his production on deep routes and his rare combination of size, acceleration and ball skills. At this point, the discussion surrounding Smith has moved beyond whether he is the best receiver in college football. The conversation has become whether he belongs among the best wide receiver prospects of the modern era.

That is precisely why his eventual departure carries such weight.

Ohio State has become perhaps the most consistent receiver-producing program in the sport under Day, developing players such as Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka into NFL first-round selections. Day’s program has also produced an extraordinary NFL pipeline, with Ohio State sending 49 players to the NFL draft and 14 first-round selections over the past five draft cycles, according to Sporting News.

Smith is positioned to extend that trend in spectacular fashion.

He entered college as the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class and immediately established himself as a difference-maker. His freshman season produced 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, setting the foundation for what has become one of the most remarkable early careers in Ohio State history. His sophomore season confirmed that the first year was not an outlier.

The 2026 season therefore becomes a fascinating intersection of team ambition and individual legacy.

Ohio State has no reason to treat Smith like a player simply passing through his final collegiate season. The Buckeyes need to maximize every snap he takes.

New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has already indicated that he does not believe there is necessarily a ceiling on how much Ohio State can feature its star receiver. The former Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons head coach brings 17 years of NFL experience to Columbus, giving the Buckeyes another offensive mind accustomed to designing game plans around elite playmakers.

That could mean more formation variation, more motion and more opportunities to manufacture favorable matchups for Smith.

Defenses will not make that easy.

Every defensive coordinator facing Ohio State understands the mathematics. A receiver with Smith’s size and explosiveness demands safety attention, which can create lighter boxes for the running game and favorable one-on-one opportunities for the rest of the passing attack. The challenge for opponents is determining how much help they can dedicate to Smith without exposing Sayin, tight end Max Klare or Ohio State’s other perimeter weapons.

That is where Smith’s value goes beyond his receiving totals.

His presence changes defensive structure.

The Buckeyes do not necessarily need to throw to Smith on every important down for him to influence the game. Bracket coverage, safety rotation and defensive leverage can create opportunities elsewhere. In that sense, Smith functions almost like an offensive system rather than simply a wide receiver.

And that makes his eventual departure even more difficult to replace.

Ohio State has already begun preparing for the future. Chris Henry Jr., one of the most highly regarded young receivers in the country, flashed during the 2026 spring game, while other young receivers will have opportunities to establish themselves behind Smith. The program’s history suggests there will be another NFL-caliber receiver waiting.

But replacing Smith’s production is one thing.

Replacing his gravitational pull is another.

There is also a financial dimension to the story, although it looks very different from the NFL.

Smith is not operating under an NFL salary-cap contract with Ohio State. College football’s current economic model revolves around NIL compensation, revenue sharing and endorsement opportunities rather than the traditional professional salary structure. As of July 2026, On3’s updated valuation placed Smith’s NIL market value at approximately $5 million, making him one of the most valuable athletes in college sports.

That valuation illustrates just how much commercial value Smith carries into his final college season.

It also explains why the NFL represents a different economic proposition.

The 2027 draft will give Smith access to a professional market in which his earnings potential is determined by draft position, contract negotiations and ultimately his performance at the next level. He is already being discussed as a potential No. 1 pick, meaning his final season at Ohio State could have enormous consequences for both his draft stock and the future economics of the receiver position.

For Ohio State, however, the immediate calculation is simpler.

Win.

The Buckeyes have constructed a roster capable of competing for another Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff appearance. Sayin returns after a remarkable 2025 season in which he completed 77 percent of his passes for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns while throwing only eight interceptions. Those numbers earned him a place among the nation’s elite quarterbacks and give Ohio State an unusual level of continuity at the position.

That continuity could be critical because Ohio State’s 2026 schedule leaves little room for error.

The Buckeyes face Texas early in the season before navigating another demanding Big Ten schedule that includes conference contenders and the annual rivalry game against Michigan. With the College Football Playoff now firmly established as the ultimate measuring stick, Ohio State cannot afford to treat the regular season merely as a developmental exercise.

This is the season to capitalize on the talent it has.

Smith’s departure will eventually force Ohio State into another transition. But Day has spent his tenure proving that the program can reload at receiver. The more pressing question is whether anyone can replicate what Smith has done so early and so consistently.

That is the rarity here.

Most great college receivers need time to establish themselves. Smith arrived with enormous expectations and immediately met them. Two seasons later, he is being discussed as a possible generational NFL prospect.

The Buckeyes therefore enter 2026 with a peculiar combination of urgency and opportunity.

They know Smith is leaving.

They know the NFL is waiting.

And they know there may never be another season quite like this one.

For Day, the objective is not to spend the year worrying about what Ohio State will look like without Smith. It is to make sure that when Smith finally walks out of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center for the last time, he leaves Columbus having accomplished everything possible.

Ohio State will have to replace him eventually.

For now, the Buckeyes have one season left with Jeremiah Smith.

And if the expectations surrounding the 2027 NFL Draft are any indication, the rest of college football has one season left to try to stop him.