Sometimes you just can’t talk sense into people who don’t follow college football as much as they should. Somehow, someway, Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith didn’t take home the Biletnikoff Award, given to the best receiver in college football annually. Instead, the award was won by USC receiver Makai Lemon.
Lemon did have an outstanding year just purely from a statistical standpoint. He played in 12 games and caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. By comparison, Smith also played in 12 games and had 80 receptions for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns. Anyone who knows anything about the game, though, understands that Smith is the best receiver in college football with the blend of his size, speed, hands, and strength.
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If there’s any good news for Smith, it’s the fact that he still has one more year to win the award. To be fair, he should have gotten more consideration last season when he wasn’t even a finalist. He was one of three finalists this year, joining Lemon and UConn’s Skyler Bell. Funny enough, Smith won the Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year over Lemon in the Big Ten.
Don’t blame this guy because I voted for Smith just like I voted for Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2022 and 2023. Harrison was also snubbed in 2022 but came back and won the award by one vote in his junior season before declaring early for the NFL draft.
Not all was lost for Ohio State during the ESPN Home Depot College Awards show. Safety Caleb Downs did take home the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back, but that’s all the hardware the Buckeyes won Friday night.
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Maybe, just maybe, some of that will add fuel to the fire for Ohio State as it starts to prepare for what it hopes is another memorable run through the College Football Playoff.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith snubbed for national award Friday
