COLUMBUS — Freshman receivers being among the talks of preseason camp has become a sort of tradition at Ohio State in recent years.

Whether it was Garrett Wilson in 2019 or Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2020, and on through Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Carnell Tate over the past three years, head coach Ryan Day and receivers coach Brian Hartline are used to having to temper expectations for their latest pass-catching phenoms ahead of their first seasons on campus.

And then there’s Jeremiah Smith.

From the moment Smith committed to Ohio State as a junior in December 2022, the hype machine was sent into overdrive. The top-ranked player in the 2024 class according to 247 Sports, Smith was pegged as a can’t-miss prospect ready to make a difference the moment he stepped onto campus. While his recruitment was filled with often baseless speculation about possible flips up until he signed his letter of intent last December, Day and Hartline went the distance in Smith’s recruitment, ultimately securing what stacks up as the second-highest-ranked recruit in the program’s history in the modern recruiting era.

The impact of Smith’s signature was well-encapsulated in Day’s reaction during his National Signing Day press conference in December when, after being informed Smith’s letter of intent had been submitted, Day’s knees buckled slightly and an ear-to-ear grin came across his face as he let out a sigh of relief.

Such a reaction may have seemed rather exaggerated for any one recruit at the time, but Smith quickly showed why he wasn’t just another recruit after enrolling in January and participating in spring practice. With each passing day, Smith proved why he was star-ready from day one, both physically and mentally, and why he’d be impossible to keep off the field by the time the season kicked off in August.

While Day has still made his best attempt at tempering the expectations surrounding Smith, most notably at Big Ten Media Days last month, it’s become very apparent there’s only so much he, Hartline, or anyone in the Ohio State program can say about Smith as he firmly establishes himself as a top-three target in a stacked receivers room.

“He’s a different type of talent,” second-year cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. said of Smith. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like him because he’s so tall and big but can run as well. He has a good mix of everything.”

Senior cornerback Denzel Burke said of Smith, “Jeremiah is a dawg. I’ve been saying this for a while now. I’m glad he’s on our team.”

Asked what makes Smith different than other highly-touted freshmen, of which there has been no shortage inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, Burke said, “Really, just his mentality and the (ability to catch) 50-50 balls. He’s a pro’s pro at 18 years old. He has everything you want in a prototypical receiver.”

Smith’s physical attributes have been well-documented since high school, and his blend of size, speed, and ability to go get the football when it’s in the air, embody the full complement every receiver hopes to have with the aim of becoming a star in the NFL. But equally important to the physical package is Smith’s advanced approach to his craft, an element that comes naturally to him but often doesn’t immediately materialize for even the most talented freshmen.

On Thursday, Smith was named an Iron Buckeye, an honor bestowed upon those players who have stood out above the rest during offseason workouts. Smith is the first true freshman to receive the honor, underscoring how different Smith’s makeup is at this stage in his career.

“He has a lot of tools,” Hartline said of Smith on Friday. “He works extremely hard. I will say that we’ve never had an Iron Buckeye from (strength) coach Mick (Marotti) as a true freshman —I’m not sure about ever —but definitely since I’ve been here. So a lot of credit to Jeremiah because he embodied everything that is a part of that conversation. It’s not just lifting or speed numbers. It’s the way you carry yourself, the way you train, the edge to you, it’s all of that. So he’s the first (freshman) to ever do that, so I’ll just leave it at that.”

Although the external hype surrounding Smith isn’t likely to end anytime soon, he is far from the kind of person to buy into any of it, especially without having played a snap for Ohio State. A soft-spoken kid with a workman-like approach, Smith is only concerning himself with continuing to maximize his practice reps in preparation for the season.

Meeting with the media on Friday for the first time since arriving in Columbus, Smith said of the attention he’s receiving, “It’s a blessing but you don’t want that hype to affect you. I just keep my head down and find ways to get better every day.”

Smith said his competitive drive and willingness to work took shape at a young age, to the point that it’s now just part of who he is as a person and a player.

“It’s just in me,” he said. “I just want to work. I’d say I got it from my dad. He’s the reason I really work so hard because, since I was 8 years old, he just pushed me to work and be the best at what I do.”

Smith said blocking out the considerable noise has been easy for him, mainly because he’s rarely on social media. And as an intense competitor, Smith is getting a daily reminder from the guys lining up against him in practice that while he may be ready for stardom in rather short order, there’s still plenty more work to be done.

“That’s the reason I chose to come to Ohio State, just to compete each and every day against the best (defensive back) group in the country,” he said.

With Smith already winning his fair share of battles against that group, it doesn’t bode well for the secondaries that will be tasked with slowing him down when he’s fully unleashed beginning on Aug. 31.

Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on X @DillonDavis56.