Ohio State's Ryan Day setting high expectations for freshman WR

Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is coming into Columbus with extremely high expectations.

After all, in terms of elite wideout recruits, Smith was the cream of the crop. Not only was he the top wide receiver prospect in the 2024 class, but he was the consensus No. 1 overall recruit at 6-foot-3, 214 pounds.

Smith has superstar potential, even as a freshman, and his head coach alluded to that recently when speaking to the media about what he's seen from the former five-star this spring.

"Jeremiah has really stepped in. He got his black stripe off real quick. He’s got a great approach. And I’m going to be careful what I say, but he’s been certainly a pleasure to watch and we’re all very excited about his future," Day said (h/t On3).

The note on the black stripe may seem like typical team building hullabaloo, but at OSU that is an important step for a freshman. The black stripe stays on a freshman's helmet until they earn their red stripe, so Smith is clearly ahead of schedule if he's gotten the red strip before the summer has even hit.

Smith has been so impressive as a freshman that Day is talking about him in the same breath as OSU's new safety, Caleb Downs — who transferred to Ohio State from Alabama after Nick Saban retired. Downs was phenomenal as a freshman for the Tide. So good that he was selected as the SEC Freshman of the Year by the conference coaches after starting every game at strong safety for Alabama.

“I think anytime you have somebody who is as talented as both of those guys are, you get excited about them, certainly,” Day said. “And the recruiting process. But then you have guys that have discipline and then skill like they do, that’s when you have a chance to have a great player. I think both of them have discipline in their life. I think both of them have built up a skill package.”

If Smith is half the freshman Downs was, the Buckeyes are going to be very happy.