The Heisman Trophy very rarely goes to a wide receiver. Only four primary wideouts — Johnny Rogers (1972), Tim Brown (1987), Desmond Howard (1991) and DeVonta Smith (2020) — have earned it. Travis Hunter’s defensive exploits aside, he’d be the fifth. Joel Klatt believes that number will change this season.
On the latest episode of his namesake show, Klatt declared Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith his Heisman prediction. His rationale? Difficult schedules for the quarterbacks near the top of the betting market, and Smith potentially hitting some big career milestones.
“A loss for a quarterback can really kick you out of that Heisman conversation quite rapidly… we don’t put that burden on other players,” Klatt said. “[Smith] has the ability to capture moments and make the plays that will make our imagination go wild… by the end of the year, he might have numbers that we haven’t seen in a long time from a career perspective… I’m gonna pick Jeremiah Smith.”
Smith sits just 1,060 yards behind Purdue’s John Standeford (3,618) for the most receiving yards in Big Ten history. If he replicates his 95.6 yard per game average from 2025, he’d surpass Standeford in “The Game” between the Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines. With 13 touchdowns, Smith could also eclipse Michigan’s Braylon Edwards (39) for the most receiving scores in Big Ten history.
As Klatt said, Smith would have quite the case for the Heisman if he set both of those records. His first chance to cut into his deficits comes on Saturday, when Ohio State hosts the Ball State Cardinals (12:30 p.m. E.T., Big Ten Network).
