Smith arrived as the country's No. 1 recruit and has spent three seasons making the ranking look cautious: a national title as a freshman in 2024, a unanimous All-America season in 2025, and, through Sept. 26, the best four-game start an Ohio State receiver has had, by Eleven Warriors' count — 33 catches, 617 yards and seven touchdowns. The run peaked with the best day of his career, 12 catches for 217 yards and four scores against Illinois on Sept. 26. A week earlier he passed Michael Jenkins for the most receiving yards in school history.
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Through September, the one mark on the season is Texas: Ohio State lost 24-23 in Austin on Sept. 12, and his 164 yards weren't enough. That afternoon is why 2026 reads as a chase rather than a coronation. He took over as the Heisman betting favorite after the Illinois game, Ohio State fans say he still needs a signature afternoon, and Indiana (Oct. 17), Oregon (Nov. 7) and Michigan (Nov. 28) are on the schedule.
The rest is legacy math. As of Sept. 28 he was one touchdown from tying Chris Olave's school record and nine catches from tying Emeka Egbuka's, and CBS Sports' Sept. 28 mock draft sent him first overall — no receiver has gone No. 1 since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996. He has said this will likely be his last college season. Fans are already arguing over whether 'the best receiver in the country' undersells him.
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