COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State’s wait for five-star receiver Jeremiah Smith took more twists and turns than the Buckeyes would have liked, but the No. 1 overall prospect officially joined the program on Wednesday night.
And Thursday on social media, offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline made his first public comments on the newest receiver.
“Yes the plays are outstanding but it’s the mental make up this young man has that will launch him towards his goals,” he said on social media. “Let’s Go Be Great!”
Coach Ryan Day jokingly (or perhaps not-so-jokingly) started to collapse during his Wednesday press conference when Smith’s commitment became official. But since the letter of intent didn’t come through, Day could not comment on Smith joining the tea
Now with Smith in the mix, along with fellow five-star Mylan Graham, the future of Ohio State’s receiver room is once again remarkably bright
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Another battle on which to keep an eye is Tigers receiver Luther Burden III against the Buckeyes’ defensive secondary. Safety Josh Proctor and cornerback Denzel Burke will need to account for the explosive speed of Burden as they work to limit his gains down the field. Finally, Missouri running
back Cody Shrader will need to be aware of Ohio State defensive linemen Mike Hall Jr. and Tyleik Williams for each of the contest’s four quarters. Shrader leads the Tigers with 1,489 rushing yards (running back Nathaniel Peat is second with 317 yards), but will have to break through the wall of Hall and Williams in order to add to that impressive total.
The No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 9 Missouri Tigers conclude their 2023 seasons against one another in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Friday, December 29. Live coverage of the game will air nationally from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas at 8 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
