Player to Watch: Can Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith take another step in 2026?

College football seasons are often decided by who elevates when the schedule gets real, and entering 2026, one of the names to circle is Ohio State playmaker Jeremiah Smith. In a “Player to Watch” feature published Aug. 14, Yahoo Sports framed the question plainly: could Smith reach an even higher level this year, with an emphasis on the idea that he “could post monster numbers” in 2026.

The timing matters because Ohio State’s first test of the season is quickly approaching. The Yahoo piece connects the watch list to the Buckeyes’ opener against Ball State, positioning Smith as a player the team and its fans will be looking to see early, not just in highlight reels later on. If a player can validate preseason expectations in the early weeks, it changes how defenses plan for the rest of the year.

What makes the question compelling is the nature of Ohio State’s offensive spotlight. When the Buckeyes identify a key difference-maker, production usually has to show up in consistent, game-shaping ways, because the program plays in the highest-visibility stretch of college football and the margin for “nearly” is small. Smith, in the Yahoo framing, is the kind of impact player whose statistical output would report that the offense is equipped to run through him.

Still, preseason projections are just that, and there is no substitute for what happens once the season starts. Even when a writer expects a breakout or a “step up,” the variables are wide in college football, from how the offensive scheme is executed game-to-game to how opposing defenses adjust after watching film. The “monster numbers” language is aspirational, and it should be read as a bar that Smith could clear if everything aligns.

For Ohio State, the broader implication is that 2026 is a season where the offense needs its most reliable weapons to be both productive and present at the right moments. Early-season momentum can influence how quickly a team’s identity settles in, and a strong start from Smith against Ball State would do more than fill stat lines. It would also give the Buckeyes confidence that opposing scouting priorities can be exploited rather than neutralized.

As for what to watch next, the cleanest measurement is how Smith’s production tracks once Ohio State moves past the opener and into a full slate of conference-level opponents. The key question remains the same one Yahoo posed: can he keep climbing, not just replicating past outputs, but raising the ceiling in a way that forces defenses to treat him as more than a threat on paper.