Last year’s championship team is dominating the game back and forth on both sides of the ball. Their passing game made an impact against the Golden Gophers, and the defense? That’s no. 1 in the country. That’s absolutely why the Ohio State WR, Jeremiah Smith, drew a comparison to LeBron James from Ryan Day. With all the highlight-reel plays and phenomenal running ability, Smith looks like a clone built from King James’ DNA.
Notably, Smith was dominant against Minnesota last week, grabbing seven catches for 67 yards with two TDs. Despite defenses constantly pressuring you, that level of accuracy shows how resilient he is. So, it’s pretty clear why another title run is on its way for Day and his team. After making an impact last season by leading Ohio State with 1,315 receiving yards and 15 receiving TDs, Jeremiah Smith became an instant target for all other teams.
That success continues this year; that’s precisely why Ryan Day makes a bold admission, comparing him to LeBron James. “I just say LeBron? Because I don’t know how to compare him. He’s just so big, strong, and powerful. But then the thing that makes him remarkable is his work ethic, his motivation. You don’t have to tell him to go hard. That’s just the way he’s wired.”
Even though that comparison might sound far-fetched, Jeremiah Smith caught a team-leading 463 yards on 35 receptions with six touchdowns through five games. On top of that, Smith’s fear is clearly visible to other teams. In contrast with Minnesota, five players came right towards him, leaving a free space for Carnell Tate. What was the result? He was left free to catch a pass. Even Smith couldn’t stop himself from reacting to it: “When that happened, I saw all of them run at me, I just started laughing in their face, and I just threw my hand up ’cause I knew it was a touchdown.”
Apart from the skill set, the approach makes him stand apart. Day continued with his praise, “And then there’s just his approach, and it’s just such a great example for all the rest of the guys in the team. Here’s one of the most talented guys any of us has ever been around. But he is one of the hardest workers. And it’s just good for the culture of the team.”
