Jeremiah Smith has pushed the boundaries all season for what a freshman is supposed to contribute to a national title contender.

The Ohio State wide receiver has been phenomenal, and on Tuesday he was spotlighted again by being named a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the nation’s top wideout. If Smith were able to win the award, he would follow in Marvin Harrison Jr.’s footsteps after he captured the honor in 2023.

The South Florida product has been a revelation in Columbus in 2024 while helping the Buckeyes to a 9-1 record and a potential spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. Smith has piled up 49 catches for 865 yards this season. He’s been able to stretch the field for quarterback Will Howard, averaging 17.7 yards per catch, and he’s got 9 touchdown catches with 2 more regular-season games left to get that number into double digits.

Smith’s catches, yards and touchdown totals have already broken freshman receiving records at Ohio State, with those 2 games still left to add to his records.

Smith has 3 100-yard receiving games this season, including last Saturday when he caught 4 passes for 100 yards in a 31-7 victory over Northwestern at Wrigley Field. This Saturday afternoon, Smith will be in the spotlight again when he and the Buckeyes host Indiana in a game with massive Playoff implications.

Smith is 1 of 2 freshmen amongst a group of 11 who are up for the award. Alabama’s Ryan Williams is the other freshman.

Jack Bech (TCU), Ja’Corey Brooks (Louisville), Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green), Tai Felton (Maryland), Tre Harris (Ole Miss), Travis Hunter (Colorado), Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona), Nick Nash (San Jose State) and Xavier Restrepo (Miami) are the other 9 Biletnikoff semifinalists.