Highly-touted freshman WR Jeremiah Smith to start for Ohio State in Week 1

Ohio State no longer has Marvin Harrison Jr., but a highly-touted freshman will have the opportunity to replace the former Buckeyes star’s production when they open up the 2024 season on Saturday.

Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith will be in Ohio State’s starting lineup when it hosts Akron in Week 1, head coach Ryan Day told reporters on Tuesday.

“Yes,” Day simply responded when asked if Smith would be on the field for Ohio State’s first offensive snap of the season.

If Day holds true to his word, Smith would become Ohio State’s first true freshman to start a season opener since cornerback Denzel Burke did so in 2021, according to ElevenWarriors.

While Smith might be the youngest player in Ohio State’s veteran-laden starting lineup, it isn’t much of a surprise that the freshman is set to see the field right away. He was the No. 1 overall recruiting prospect out of high school in the Class of 2024.

The praise for Smith goes beyond that top ranking, too. Smith was ranked 12th in FOX Sports’ RJ Young‘s top 100 superstars for the 2024 season list.

“Ohio State folks talk about Jeremiah ‘J.J.’ Smith the same way folks spoke about Adrian Peterson before he was unleashed at Oklahoma,” Young wrote. “The No. 1-ranked player in the 2024 class is the most highly-anticipated true freshman skill player at Ohio State since Maurice Clarrett arrived on campus back in 2002.

“Tangible evidence of what his enrollment at Ohio State could mean for the Buckeyes this season is Ryan Day pretending to buckle at the podium when arriving to reveal who signed with the program during the winter. Since then, Smith has made even the most even-keeled players and coaches gush with praise for him in practice.”

Ohio State: Can Buckeyes be stopped & Will Oklahoma succeed in the SEC?

FOX Sports gambling expert Chris “The Bear” Fallica has also heard tremendous buzz about Smith after the receiver’s first offseason in Columbus.

“I think Smith is a total freak and I think he has an opportunity to be super, super special,” Fallica said in a recent episode of “Bear Bets.” “I’ve heard people who’ve seen him at Ohio State say he could start for teams in the NFL right now and be a top-10 or five pick.”

Additionally, FOX Sports college football reporter Bruce Feldman ranked Smith seventh in his annual “Freaks List” for The Athletic. Smith, who stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 218 pounds, has recorded a max speed of 23.39 mph this offseason, according to Feldman. An Ohio State coach also told Feldman that Smith “has great hands, a great catch radius and does freaky things on a daily basis.”

Smith noted that he’s aware of all the buzz around him entering his freshman season, but he’s just hoping to help Ohio State reach its ultimate goal this season.

“I know it’s a big expectation for me because I’m the No. 1 player in a country coming in and all the hype around me,” Smith told reporters earlier in August. “So, I mean, I just try to block out all that stuff and just focus on the main thing, just the team and our receiver room and the locker room. And when the first game comes, and if I don’t exceed the expectations that y’all have for me, I mean, I don’t really care. I just want to go out there and win the game.”

In addition to Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate are also expected to be starters at receiver for Ohio State to open the season. But Day also said that sophomore Brandon Inniss is “right there” with the other three receivers.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]