Jeremiah Smith Draws LeBron James Comparison from Big Ten Analyst

Big Ten Media Day began on Tuesday in Chicago, which means there will be a lot of in-depth coverage of all 18 teams within the conference.

The Ohio State Buckeyes were not on the schedule for the first day of the three-day event, but that’s not going to stop Big Ten analysts and color commentators from mentioning ‘Wide Receiver U’.

Speaking of ‘Wide Receiver U,’ Heisman candidate Jeremiah Smith is widely considered the best wide receiver in the country.

“If I got to be a Heisman finalist, I would be satisfied with that,” Smith said. “I know that’s really a quarterback award.”

So, a recent comparison to LeBron James from Big Ten Network analyst and former Michigan Wolverine tight end, Jake Butt makes a lot of sense. Both players are dominating their competition in their respective sports.

“Jeremiah Smith, the best at his position,” said Butt during the Big Ten Networks’ coverage on Tuesday. “I mean, he's literally like LeBron James in college still. I mean, he's a generational athlete, a generational prospect."

Both players are considered leaders on their teams.

In an interview with Joey Kaufman of the Columbus Dispatch, he spoke about helping to integrate freshmen and transfers into the Ohio State culture and system.

“I'm trying to bring them along,” Smith said. “Just being more of a leader, that's really the biggest emphasis on me.”

Something that LeBron James does when new players joined his teams in the past.

LeBron James is a Huge Ohio State Football Fan

LeBron James has been very vocal over the years about his fandom for Ohio State Football.

"Ohio State means a lot to me," James said. "If you've followed my journey, I'm a big-time football fan. I played football all the way through high school. It's always been fulfilling to me and an honor for me to be able to give back."

James has also been very generous when it comes to gift giving, as he has hooked up the football players in the past with cleats.

LeBron James hooked up the Ohio State Buckeyes with special cleats inspired by his “Grand Opening” Nike LeBron 23 👑👀 pic.twitter.com/idgG9v1eJj
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) October 27, 2025

He has also shared on numerous occasions including an interview with Slam Magazine in September of 2013, that if he wouldn’t have made the decision to jump to the NBA after high school, he would have played one season at Ohio State.

‘I promise, I say this all the time — if I had one year of college, I would have ended up here,’ James said.

He also shares if Ohio State wasn’t an option in a chat with future Hall of Famer Diana Taurasi, that he would have probably gone to North Carolina or Duke.

If he stuck it out as a football player, he would have probably played at Ohio State under former coach Jim Tressel.

“He was a good wide receiver,” Tressel said. "He was a beast. All you had to do was throw it up there, and he could fly. And he was tough. He had everything.”

James recently signed a two-year contract for $8 million with the Philadelphia 76ers after eight years with the Los Angeles Lakers.

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