The Ohio State football program is garnering a reputation as a wide receiver haven. Jeremiah Smith has many believing he’s the next NFL talent out of Columbus, especially as an immediate school record-breaker. Joel Klatt, however, sees way more.
The former college football quarterback turned analyst gave the Buckeyes freshman a stirring comparison Thursday. Klatt sees a lot of a past league legend in the 6-foot-3, 215-pound talent.
“There’s a bit of like the Randy Moss effect with Jeremiah Smith,” Klatt shared on “The Joel Klatt Show.”
For a wide receiver that young to earn a comparison to a Pro Football Hall of Famer is one of the ultimate early validations. Moss once raised the standard for wideouts and had many NFL teams searching for WRs closest to his skillset during his illustrious 14-year career. The six-time Pro Bowler changed the way the league looked for wideouts. Moss helped persuade lots of NFL teams to look for towering, athletic and fast WRs near his 6-foot-4, 200-pound stature.
Klatt’s comparison also comes off the heels of Ohio State producing another stout WR who has ties to an NFL Hall of Famer: Marvin Harrison Jr. The more recent Buckeyes stud WR finished his collegiate career as a Heisman Trophy finalist and top five draft pick for 2024.
Ohio State even has Emeka Egbuka leading the new wave of Buckeyes wideouts as the veteran of the room. The senior Egbuka is another commanding NFL attention with 49 catches, 612 yards and eight touchdowns as a crisp 6-foot-1, 205-pound route runner.
Joel Klatt dives further into describing Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith
The Moss comparison weren’t the only glowing words Klatt handed Smith. The Fox Sports college football personality even explained why Smith is a “regardless” talent.
“Smith is so good and so fast. There are rarely players I say this about, but he is a ‘regardless’ wide receiver,” Klatt explained. “That means that regardless of the coverage, you throw it to him.”
Smith arrived to Columbus as a coveted five-star addition. He earned two different No. 1 rankings from 247Sports: The state of Florida’s top overall prospect and the nation’s best WR for the 2024 class. The standout from Chaminade-Madonna Prep even got compared to another dominating NFL WR in Julio Jones by 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins.
The young Buckeye has delivered the opposite of a slow start. Smith put together an impressive debut on Aug. 31 by catching six passes for 92 yards and scoring twice against Akron. He’s produced three 100-yard performances since. Smith even dominated top-ranked Oregon despite the 32-31 loss — grabbing a season-best nine catches for 100 yards in Eugene.
Smith currently leads OSU in two of the three major receiving categories. He’s tops with 865 yards and nine touchdowns. He shares the reception lead with Egbuka at 49.
Now, Smith will soon experience his third game involving a top five opponent. The fifth-ranked Indiana Hoosiers are on deck and will likely scheme up some coverages to counter Smith. But this time, Smith and the Buckeyes aren’t coming out of the visitor’s locker room for this one. Ohio State and Smith are hosting the No. 5 team in the nation for a major Big 10 Conference heavyweight showdown. Perhaps Smith will pull off some Moss-like moments for OSU with Klatt inside the broadcast booth.
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