Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith Delivers Heisman-Worthy Masterpiece vs. Illinois

Hand Jeremiah Smith the Heisman Trophy now. Ohio State’s superstar wide receiver was downright unstoppable Saturday, torching Illinois for a career-high 217 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 12 catches in Ohio State’s 42-19 victory. Smith shattered his own single-game receiving record in the process, putting together the kind of jaw-dropping performance that made him the current betting favorite for the Heisman. “It just started back in practice on Tuesday,” Smith said when asked by FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft what went into his performance. “It all showed up today on the field.” And don’t think Smith’s historic marks stopped there. According to FOX Sports Research, Smith became the fifth player in Ohio State history to have four receiving touchdowns in a single game; Bob Grimes (1952), Terry Glenn (1995), Dane Sanzenbacher (2010) and Noah Brown (2016) are the other four players. Three of Smith’s four touchdowns came in the first half, which marked the first time an Ohio State player has done so since Noah Brown back in 2016. His 12 receptions, 217 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns against the Illini were all career highs. And what type of company does Smith’s record-setting day put him in? The All-American wideout is now the fifth player in Big Ten history to have 3,000 career receiving yards and 30 receiving touchdowns, joining Michigan’s Anthony Carter and Braylon Edwards, Purdue’s Brian Alford and Minnesota’s Tyler Johnson. “It goes back to his work ethic and the way he practices every day,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said of Smith. “A lot of these guys here look up to him. He’s a great example, not only for the young players in our program, but just a whole generation of kids that watch this guy here. He’s special.” As a freshman, Smith set Ohio State records for receptions (76), receiving yards (1,315) and receiving touchdowns (15) while helping lead the Buckeyes to a national championship. Meanwhile, Smith led the Big Ten in receiving yards in both 2024 (1,315) and 2025 (1,243), while leading the conference with 15 receiving touchdowns in 2024 and 87 receptions in 2025. Smith, the consensus No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2024, was a 2025 All-American and finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. Smith entered Week 4 having totaled 21 receptions for 400 yards (19.0 yards per reception) and three touchdowns. He became the Buckeyes’ all-time leader in receiving yards in their Week 3 win over Kent State.