Jeremiah Smith again lands on the Fred Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has been added to the Fred Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list, according to an announcement reported Wednesday by Yahoo Sports. The Biletnikoff Award, given annually to college football’s most outstanding receiver, uses preseason watch lists to frame the early candidates for the season’s top passing-game performances.

Smith’s inclusion continues a pattern from his first seasons in Columbus. The Yahoo report notes that he was expected to contend heavily for the award in prior years and was “significantly” overlooked last season, when USC receiver Makai Lemon took home the prize. In other words, this watch list is not a surprise so much as another formal checkpoint in a player profile that has already been built around production and separation.

For Ohio State, the watch list matters less for the trophy itself than for what it indicates about the team’s offensive identity going into fall camp. A player of Smith’s profile typically draws extra attention in game plans, which can change how defensive backs are deployed, how often safeties stay high or rotate late, and how the passing game is stressed across the formation. Even without seeing the season’s full statistical arc, preseason recognition often reflects both recent output and how a receiver’s skill set translates to quarterback play-calling.

The Biletnikoff Award’s preseason watch list also acts as a public narrative tool for media and coaches as the season begins. Players who appear on the list tend to be reviewed more frequently as the year progresses, and voters often rely on a mix of production, route discipline, and the ability to make high-leverage catches. That context tends to put a receiver’s role, not just raw targets, under the microscope.

Smith will be measured against the broader field of wide receivers also listed by the Biletnikoff committee, which means Ohio State’s success will matter, too. A team can have several productive pass catchers, but award conversations usually concentrate on a receiver who combines production with consistent impact in tight windows, including on third down and in the red zone. The watch list provides the starting frame; the season provides the proof.