Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith

The first full weekend of college football 2025 is the focus of the latest Heisman Trophy Podcast, as superstar Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith joins the show ahead of the big Texas game to talk about his humble beginnings, his penchant for one-handed catches, his secret love of chess, and the reason he met up with Travis Kelce in New York this past summer. Next we take a deeper dive into the Smith legend by going back to the beginning with his trainer, Sly Johnson, of Premier Athletes, who gives key insights into what makes the young receiver tick. Then Chip Brown of Horns247 stops by to break down the huge 1-2 showdown between Texas and Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday. Will Arch Manning be ready? Can the Longhorns stop Smith again?  Find out what Chip thinks. Then, to close things out, we tell the Manning family story as it pertains to the Heisman. Three quarterbacks in the top 3 of the vote!  But will Arch write the final chapter?

Transcript

Chris Huston (00:02.209)
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State wide receiver. Thanks for coming on the Heisman Trophy podcast.

Jeremiah Smith (00:07.522)
Thank you, thank you for having me.

Chris Huston (00:09.623)
You know, it's kind of a challenge to interview someone like yourself who does this kind of thing all the time, because I'm sure you get asked a variation of the same question over and over again. So I'm going to try to avoid asking you too much of the same thing that everyone else does. So I guess I really would like to know what makes you tick, you know? So I just talked to someone yesterday who's told me that he's known you basically since birth, Sly Johnson, who runs Premier Athletes. And he told me to ask you right off the bat, before anything else ,about all your one-headed catches at his football camp. So what's the scoop on all your one-headed catches? He said that a lot of them were so amazing and they're not on film, but he, but he wanted you to tell me about them.

Jeremiah Smith (00:46.156)
Yeah, like he said, lot of one-hand catches that I did at the camp, not on film. But that's something I enjoy doing, just catching the ball with one hand with defenders on my back. So I just like to have fun. That's all.

Chris Huston (01:00.203)
Yeah. How much of that is, is luck and being, you know, sort of understanding where the ball's going and being lucky that it got there and how much of it is really something you can work on.

Jeremiah Smith (01:10.498)
Yeah, sometimes a lot people work on it like me, myself. I work on catching the ball one handed a lot, especially during practice when we have a free period with a special team. So me personally, I feel like I work on it. But sometimes some people, it just be luck. But me personally, I work on it. So that's why I feel like I'm very good at it.

Chris Huston (01:28.681)
Well, Sly told me that JJ always had great hands. What kind of drills did you do as a youngster to develop those hands?

Jeremiah Smith (01:37.545)
Just, you know, stand behind a tree or like a pole or anything and somebody just throws the ball at me and I just take my hands out and catch it. Or I I used tennis balls a lot when I was younger to get my hands better. So then I, you know, when I was younger, I used to catch a hundred footballs a day. So I feel like that's what made my hands great.

Chris Huston (01:57.493)
You must've worn out your dad's arms or whoever was throwing the ball to you. It's been told several times now about how you were cut from your youth team at age seven. The story goes that this motivated you to train harder. And what I'd like to know is, and I haven't heard anybody ask, is how does a seven year old train harder?

Jeremiah Smith (02:20.334)
Yeah, I really don't know. Me and my dad was just working out two, three times a day. And it's, you know, it was a very hard moment, adversity, I should say. But, you know, I say it made me who I am today.

Chris Huston (02:35.125)
Yeah, it sounds like you were motivated at a very early age to be great. 

Jeremiah Smith (02:39.042)
Yes, sir.

Chris Huston (02:35.125).                                                                                                  And well, what was it exactly that lit that spark in you, do you think?

Jeremiah Smith (02:43.598)
I say that moment for sure and then growing up in South Florida, you see a lot of greats come through that state. So I just want to be another great one to come through that state, just put up for my hometown.

Chris Huston (02:55.349)
At what point in your development did you start to believe that you had a chance to be great? And what was it that led you to believe that?

Jeremiah Smith (03:05.426)
I say at the age of 11, 12 years old, you know, just going out each and every week and, know, just dominating. And then I had a very good work ethic at a very young age. And then I have, you know, my coaches and everybody telling me that you go to the next level because you work very hard and the people around you. So that's when I felt like, I'm very, I'm okay. I'm pretty good at this. So, you know, I could take it to the next level.

Chris Huston (03:31.127)
Yeah. I guess when you're a kid, you know, your parents or your adults always tell you like, you're doing great. Good job. And a lot of it is just encouragement. Right? And at some point it's not just encouragement, but they're like, wow, you really are doing great. So that was around 11 years old. Wow. So you're now at Ohio state. You're coming off a huge freshman season, 76 catches, 1,315 yards, 15 touchdowns. You've always been in the spotlight, but now the glare is even brighter. We recently saw a massive crowd of fans come out to see you at a mall acting like you're the Pope.

Jeremiah Smith (03:36.066)
Yeah.

Chris Huston (04:00.98)
How do you block all that stuff out and keep the focus where it needs to be?

Jeremiah Smith (04:04.846)
I think I do a very good job at it, blocking out all the distractions and all the tension around my name. I come from humble beginnings, so me personally, that stuff really doesn't faze me. I'm just focused on the main thing, the main thing, and that's football and just trying to become a great teammate and doing what's best for the team.

Chris Huston (04:24.564)
Has anyone given you any good advice on that very subject?

Jeremiah Smith (04:27.95)
I say Mark Ingram said basically the same thing that I just said, you know, just keep the main thing the main thing, keep God first. That's really it.

Chris Huston (04:39.446)
A lot of big things coming up this season. If you play well, you could come to New York for the Heisman Ceremony. What would that mean to you to be sitting on that stage in New York in December?

Jeremiah Smith (04:48.11)
That would be a blessing. Just to even be there, be in that presence in New York and around other three great college football players there. It would definitely be a blessing for me to be around there and just be in that presence. 

Chris Huston (05:02.666)
Have you been in New York City before?

Jeremiah Smith (04:48.11)                                                                                                  My first time was this year in the summertime. 

Chris Huston (05:07.254)
What'd you do there?

Jeremiah Smith (04:48.11)                                                                                                      It was for a photo shoot with Travis Kelce, for American Eagle.

Chris Huston (05:12.565)
Nice. Is that coming out soon or when is that due?

Jeremiah Smith (05:15.326)
I'm surprised it's not out yet. I did this like three, four months ago, but it's probably coming out soon. I really don't know. 

Chris Huston (05:19.84)
They're just waiting for the right time. You turn 20 on November 29th. What are your plans for that day? What do you plan on doing that day? 

Jeremiah Smith (05:23.586)
Yeah. Actually, we played a team up north that day, so I'll be playing the game.

Chris Huston (05:19.84)                                                                                                  Well, it's either gonna be like one of your best birthdays ever or one of your worst birthdays ever. 

Jeremiah Smith (05:23.586)
Yeah, it's crazy.

Chris Huston (05:19.84)                                                                                                    Let's do some rapid fire questions. You ready? What's your morning routine like?

Jeremiah Smith (05:23.586)
Get up, brush of teeth, wash my face, and just throw my headphones on and head out to practice, come to the facility.

Chris Huston (05:48.758)
What time are you up?

Jeremiah Smith (05:23.586)                                                                                                 It depends on the day. Like today I got up at like 7.45. 

Chris Huston (05:56.631)
That's not bad. 

Jeremiah Smith (05:23.586)                                                                                          Yeah, not bad.

Chris Huston (05:56.631)                                                                                                    Do you consider yourself a people person or do you like to keep to yourself?

Jeremiah Smith (06:02.286)
I say I like to keep to myself. That's how I've always been since I was younger.

Chris Huston (06:05.686)
Do you think that's something that you'll open up more as you get older? Is it one of those?

Jeremiah Smith (06:10.542)
I think now I'm starting to open up a little more. Just being here and then a lot of people here in the facility want to hear my voice and hear me talking, hear things I got to say. So I think I definitely got better with talking to people, stuff like that. But something I'm definitely working on for sure.

Chris Huston (06:24.682)
Yeah. You kind of have a choice, right? You're kind of, you're kind of thrown into it. 

Jeremiah Smith (06:10.542)                                                                                          Yeah, I got to.

Chris Huston (06:24.682)                                                                                                What's the best compliment you've ever received?

Jeremiah Smith (06:33.506)
That I'm very humble, that's probably it.

Chris Huston (06:35.062)
All right. When you're not playing football or thinking about football (Sly told me that's all you do, by the way) what are you doing or thinking about doing when you're not thinking about doing those things? 

Jeremiah Smith (06:49.358)
Playing a video game, on the phone with mom, dad and brother. That's really about it. Really just spending time, you know, talking to family or playing video games. That's about it.

Chris Huston (06:58.888)
Mm-hmm. Who's the most influential person in your life and how do they impact you?

Jeremiah Smith (07:05.902)
I'd say my dad, either my mom or dad, they influenced me so much. They told me to just go out each and every day and be the best version of myself. They made me who I am today and I can't thank them enough for that.

Chris Huston (07:21.92)
How are you different as a person heading into this season as opposed to last year?

Jeremiah Smith (07:26.504)
I'm way different heading into this season. I have a better understanding of what's going on with the offense and things like that. Understanding defenses and what they're trying to do to me and what they're trying to do to stop the offense. So I think I know much better where I'm at this year than last year.

Chris Huston (07:42.762)
Was it kind of foggy being a freshman? Like when you first go in there and you're in the stadium and it's big and intimidating, you know what I mean? Was it like that?

Jeremiah Smith (07:49.742)
Uh, kinda not really, nothing too crazy man. I play football in South Florida so I'm really used to like big games and stuff like that. But you know college is on a whole different level. I mean it was kinda a shock but to me nothing really too crazy.

Chris Huston (08:03.518)
It often happens when a player starts out their college career, they have that play where they're like, yeah, I can play college football. And then after that, it's kind of easy. Was there a play like that for you? And then what was it?

Jeremiah Smith (08:15.19)
I wouldn't say in a game. I say it really happened in practice really when I first got here in the spring and I'm going to just know Denzel Burke, you know, IGB, and them guys and I'm making plays on them. So was I like, okay, I could definitely do this in a game as well

Chris Huston (08:29.558)
Right, because there's always that little bit of doubt, right? You were great in high school and now you're like, well, will I still be as great?  

What's something people would be surprised to know about you?

Jeremiah Smith (08:38.766)
I know how play chess. 

Chris Huston (08:40.574)
Really? Are you good?

Jeremiah Smith (08:38.766)                                                                                          Yeah, a little bit, yeah. Yes, sir. I say I'm pretty okay. I wouldn't say I'm the best. 

Chris Huston (08:46.186)
How often do play?

Jeremiah Smith (08:38.766)                                                                                             You know, when I have time, free time and stuff like that. 

Chris Huston (08:52.182)
You just play the computer or do you play teammates?

Jeremiah Smith (08:55.641)
Well, most of the time...nobody here has a chess board and stuff like that. So really, I'm playing online, really.

Chris Huston (09:00.913)
All right. Well, finally, Jeremiah Smith, how do you want to be remembered?

Jeremiah Smith (09:06.382)
How I want to be remembered? As a role model, that's really it. Just a role model that kids can look up to and be like, okay, I want to be like Jeremiah Smith.

Chris Huston (09:20.119)
Well, thanks for joining us on the Heisman Trophy podcast. Appreciate your time. Good luck against Texas on Saturday and best wishes the rest of the year. Thank you. That was great.

Jeremiah Smith (09:27.074)
Thank you, appreciate you.