Jeremiah Smith Named to Maxwell Award Watch List
7/28/2025 12:04:00 PM | Football
Preseason honors just now cranking up and sophomore superstar has seven accolades already
COLUMBUS, Ohio – It is officially college football "watch list" season with the Maxwell Football Club kicking off 11 consecutive days of National College Football Awards Association watch lists with the announcement today of its 80-member list for the Maxwell Award. Ohio State's star WR Jeremiah Smith is on the list, one of only seven WRs selected on the college player of the year list that is heavy with quarterbacks and running backs.
Smith, not surprisingly, has now been honored with seven preseason honors, including first-team preseason All-America status by Walter Camp, Pick Six Previews, Phil Steele and Athlon's. He is coming off a fabulous freshman campaign when he shattered all of Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter's Ohio State freshman records with 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Smith earned first-team All-America honors by USA Today last year and was voted by the league's coaches as the Big Ten Conference's Richter-Howard Wide Receiver of the Year and the Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year.
Smith led the nation in 2024 with six receptions of at least 50 yards: 70 yards vs. Western Michigan, 68 vs. Northwestern, 60 vs. Nebraska, 56 vs. Notre Dame, 53 vs. Iowa and 53 vs. Marshall. His 15 TD receptions were No. 2 nationally and his 1,315 receiving yards ranked fourth with both totals leading the Big Ten, while his 76 receptions ranked sixth in the conference.
2025 Ohio State Preseason Honors
§ SAF Caleb Downs – Pro Football Focus No. 2 College Player; Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list; Preseason All-American (Walter Camp, Pick Six Previews, Phil Steele, Athlon's); Big Ten Preseason Honors list
§ TE Max Klare – Preseason All-American (Pick Six Previews); 2nd Team Preseason All-American (Phil Steele); 4th Team Preseason All-American (Athlon's)
§ WR Jeremiah Smith – Pro Football Focus No. 1 College Player; Preseason All-American (Walter Camp, Pick Six Previews, Phil Steele, Athlon's); Maxwell Award watch list; Big Ten Preseason Honors list (only unanimous selection)
§ LB Sonny Styles – 2nd Team Preseason All-American (Pick Six Previews, Phil Steele, Athlon's); Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list; Big Ten Preseason Honors list
§ WR Carnell Tate – 2nd Team Preseason All-American (Athlon's); 3rd Team Preseason All-American (Pick Six Previews)
§ OL Tegra Tshabola - 3rd Team Preseason All-American (Pick Six Previews)
What to watch for tomorrow: Outland Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch lists.
