Mark Followill Weighs In on Ohio State Star Jeremiah Smith’s LeBron James Comparison

Mavericks and Big Ten Network broadcaster Mark Followill tells SI whether the LeBron James comparison is fair to Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith.

Jeremiah Smith will be stationed at the top of many teams' draft boards. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In July of 2026, Ohio State Buckeyes’ wide receiver and Heisman Trophy frontrunner Jeremiah Smith drew comparisons to Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James by Big Ten analyst Jake Butt.

The former Michigan tight end makes sense if you think about it. Both individuals command respect from their teammates, who look to them for leadership.

“Jeremiah Smith, the best at his position,” said Butt. “I mean, he's literally like LeBron James in college still. I mean, he's a generational athlete, a generational prospect."

Is the LeBron Comparison Fair to Jeremiah Smith?

In a recent exclusive interview with SI, Mark Followill, the TV play-by-play voice of the Dallas Mavericks and a Big Ten Network broadcaster, was asked if Jeremiah Smith’s comparison to LeBron James is fair or too much pressure.

“LeBron’s the greatest player to ever play basketball. I think people just mean that in the context of using your phrase, a generational talent. Jeremiah Smith was deemed a generational talent when he was in high school, and he came in with an incredibly high level of expectations. And the comparisons are made, of course, because they’re both guys from Ohio,” said Followill.

“I don’t think it’s probably ever fair to put the expectations of the greatest player in his sport, like LeBron James has been, on someone. But it’s the nature of the world that we live in now. And I think the incredible thing about it is Jeremiah Smith doesn’t seem like he shies away from any sort of expectation being placed on him.”

Followill on whether the expectations are weighing on Smith:

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s never fair to put the expectations of somebody like LeBron, who is the greatest player in a sport, on a young man. But it doesn’t seem like it’s holding him back or causing him problems. … At a school that has an extraordinary legacy of wide receivers, he’s already completed the triple crown of receiving records at Ohio State. … So whatever comparisons and expectations are out there, they certainly don’t seem like anything that’s burdening him at this point.”

Jeremiah Smith Calls LeBron James Comparison ‘a Blessing’

Smith himself has embraced the comparison to LeBron James, saying he draws inspiration from the four-time NBA champion’s longevity and approach to greatness.

“It’s a blessing being compared to somebody that’s been doing it for over two decades at a very high level,” Smith told Nitecast Media. He noted that James is still playing in the league and called it “truly something special.”

He said that is the habit he sees in the great players he admires and respects that he emulates.

“That’s what all the greats did: Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant. That’s what LeBron James is doing,” Smith said. “That’s what I’m trying to do, trying to leave the jersey better than what I found it.”

"THROW IT TO 4! #HEISMAN," James posted on X during Ohio State's win at Iowa.

Smith and the Buckeyes will get their next chance to live up to those expectations Saturday, when Ohio State travels to face defending national champion Indiana in one of the biggest games of the Big Ten season.