Omarr Norman-Lott couldn’t remember Jeremiah Smith’s name off the top of his head, but the former Tennessee defensive tackle certainly didn’t forget facing Ohio State’s star wide receiver in this past season’s College Football Playoff.
Asked Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine who stood out to him from the Buckeyes in Ohio State’s 42-17 win over Tennessee in December, Norman-Lott initially said his answer was “the whole team,” admitting that the Volunteers “got blown out the water.” But it was Smith, the then-freshman wideout who caught six passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State’s first-round CFP win, who impressed Norman-Lott most of all.
“He's not to be messed with … You're like rendered powerless,” Norman-Lott said with a laugh. “You're doing anything you can to stop him, but it's a man vs. man game sometimes, and that day he was the better man.”
Asked Tennessee DT Omarr Norman-Lott who stood out from Ohio State in the CFP.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) February 26, 2025
He said the whole team, admitting that the Volunteers got blown out the water, but said Jeremiah Smith stood out in particular.
Hes not to be messed with ... Youre like rendered powerless. pic.twitter.com/lcJD4hKU5z
Norman-Lott was far from the only combine participant who went up against Smith last season and came away recognizing that Smith is a special player.
Iowa defensive back Sebastian Castro got a firsthand look at Smith’s ability in just his fifth game as a Buckeye as the freshman wide receiver caught four passes for 89 yards, including a one-handed catch for a 4-yard touchdown, which prompted Castro to give Smith props in the moment and is a play Castro still remembers more than four months later.
Game respects game.
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) October 7, 2024
After Jeremiah Smith's one handed catch, it appears Iowa defensive back Sebastian Castro even gives the play a clap: pic.twitter.com/2w6FQNHTG2
“He's definitely an exceptional athlete,” Castro said. “You can tell, one of the plays where they just threw it up to him in the back of the end zone, he had just stuck out his arm to create separation and caught the ball with one hand. He’s a really talented kid.”
No opposing team got a better feel last season for how tough it is to defend Smith than Oregon, as Smith caught 16 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns in two games against the Ducks. Oregon cornerback Jabbar Muhammad said Smith is tough to cover because of both his physical traits and football IQ.
“I think he's a pretty smart player as well, but all the physical attributes that he has, definitely catching the ball,” Muhammad said of what makes Smith tough to cover.
Oregon CB Jabbar Muhammad thinks Ohio States offensive scheme made the difference in the second matchup between the Buckeyes and Ducks: For some of the plays that we had, they just had better plays at the end of the day.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) February 27, 2025
Muhammad said he thinks Carnell Tate is underrated, and pic.twitter.com/YRXBLcJhax
Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts also saw just how much of a game-changer Smith can be in the national championship game, where Smith made what was effectively the game-sealing play for the Buckeyes with his 56-yard deep ball catch on 3rd-and-11 late in the fourth quarter.
Watts felt like that play was a missed opportunity for the Fighting Irish, who were down by only eight points at the time, but praised Smith as “a very talented player.”
“The way he’s physically built, he’s a freak athlete, so he’s a really good player,” Watts said.
Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts on Ohio States 3rd-and-11 conversion: We just didnt capitalize. They got us on that play, and that was that.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) February 27, 2025
On Jeremiah Smith: Hes a very talented player ... the way hes physically built, hes a freak athlete. pic.twitter.com/YmGdI0keCF
The lone team that was successful in slowing down Smith in the College Football Playoff – and for just about the entire 2024 season for that matter – was Texas, who limited Smith to just one catch for three yards in the CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl. Texas safety Andrew Mukuba was proud of the way his secondary limited Smith, feeling that the coaches gave them a good game plan that they executed well, but he still praised Smith for the caliber of player he is.
“We knew what kind of player he was. Obviously, he's a good player, and we knew what kind of a threat he was, a deep threat he was,” Mukuba said. “I feel like our game plan, what our coach had together, what we had put together that week, we executed our game plan by stopping him.
“His speed, size, and what he can do down the field,” Mukuba added when asked what stood out about Smith. “His speed and his ability to catch the ball out of the air.”
Ohio State’s defensive backs, of course, had the best view of anyone of how great a receiver Smith is as they went up against him every day in practice last season. Former Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom said Thursday that what makes Smith special isn’t just the highlight-reel plays he’s made, but how consistently well he performs in games and practices.
“What was so dope about him is it’s easy to make one big catch, but he's making a big catch every day or every other day,” Ransom said.
With Smith still set to play two more years of college football before he’ll be one of the top prospects in the 2027 NFL draft, former Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke said he expects Smith to be one of the greatest wide receivers in college football history by the time he completes his Ohio State career.
“JJ, man, he's a great player. He's blessed. And if he continues to keep going at this level, he'll probably be one of the best to come through college,” Burke said.
