Buckeyes' Jeremiah Smith presents opportunity for non-quarterback Heisman winner

The Ohio State Buckeyes' generational talent, wideout Jeremiah Smith, has been unstoppable.

The sophomore wideout is on pace to have a case to be a 2025 Heisman Trophy winner. He has 20 receptions for 315 yards and three touchdowns, to go alongside one rush for 17 yards that ended in a score.

Heading into the game against Washington this coming weekend, Smith is averaging over 100 yards a game, 15.8 yards-per-reception and one touchdown per game through the air.

The nation has taken note of the explosive wideout and his high ceiling, as he currently has the second-best Heisman odds. The only player above him is Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza, with Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore tied with him.

Jeremiah Smith is currently tied for the second-best Heisman odds.

"This might be a good opportunity, as any for Ohio State and a non-QB to win it."

-@Bcarp3

Presented by @FanDuel pic.twitter.com/3X2CE3Ptk0
— Bobby Carpenter Show (@BobbyCarpShow) September 25, 2025

On The Bobby Carpenter Show, Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel talked about how this might be the best chance Ohio State has at having a non-quarterback be named a Heisman winner. It would be the first of such an occurrence in program history.

"You've got Dante Moore... at +1100 and then right there tied with him as the second best odds overall, Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State," Carpenter said. "I mean, if this season keeps going the way it is, this might be as good as any opportunity for an Ohio State non-quarterback to win it."

Fortunately, Smith has sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin throwing him the ball. Just like Smith, he has started off the season with an immense amount of momentum.

Through the first three games of the season, Sayin has 779 yards and eight touchdowns. He currently leads the Big Ten and NCAA in completion percentage with 78.9%. With just 15 incompletions on the year so far, Sayin is giving Smith the best possible chance for a career year.

Although he is having a great start to the year and the Buckeyes are 3-0, Smith wants to see the team be even better.

Last season, Smith was a crucial member of the national championship winning Buckeyes team. He caught 76 balls for 1,315 yards and found the endzone 15 times. One of the best marks was his yards-per-reception where he averaged 17.3. On the ground, he carried the ball six times for 47 yards and one score.

"Just go out there and dominate," Smith said in a press conference earlier this week. "That's what's going through my mind...I mean the last game I was frustrated was probably Texas because I had two drops. I mean Ohio, I was frustrated as well, because we couldn't finish in the red zone. And the fade ball, I feel like I could've caught that ball.

"I feel like I have to come down with that. Nothing too crazy. I just want the best for the offense and myself as well."

As the year trickles on, Smith has a chance to be one of the top players in the nation and put up a real fight for being a Heisman Trophy winner.