10/21/2026 12:41:00 PM | Football
Jeremiah Smith was placed on the first team while Jaylen McClain earned second team honors by the publication
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State safety Jaylen McClain and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith were all named The Athletic midseason All-Americans, as announced Wednesday morning.Â
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Smith was placed on the first team while McClain earned second-team recognition from the publication. Â
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This marks the third time this week Smith has been named to a midseason All-American team in addition to the Sporting News and On3. Last week, Smith was also named a midseason All-American by the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated.Â
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McClain was also named a midseason All-American by On3 earlier this week.Â
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More on Jeremiah SmithÂ
Smith goes into Saturday as the program's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and is encroaching on the Big Ten receiving yards and touchdown records.Â
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Through seven games this season, Smith has recorded 52 receptions, 984 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. He leads the country in receptions while ranking second nationally in yards and touchdowns. Smith leads all Power-4 receivers in yards and touchdowns.Â
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In Saturday's game at Indiana, Smith finished the game with four receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown. Â
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Smith is the sixth Buckeye in program history to record 200 or more receiving yards in a game and is one of two Ohio State receivers (Jaxon Smith-Njigba):Â
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Jeremiah Smith Top-10 Receiving GamesÂ
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He has 215 receptions and is now the program leader in career receptions, passing Emeka Egbuka (2021-24) at No. 14 Iowa:Â
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His 215 career receptions, Smith moved to number nine in Big Ten history:Â
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Smith has 3,542 receiving yards, breaking Michael Jenkins' record of 2,898 against Kent State on Sept. 19 at Ohio Stadium. Smith is also the only receiver in program history to have over 3,000 career yards:Â
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Smith broke into the top 10 in Big Ten history in career receiving yards at No. 14 Iowa and needs 246 yards to move up to first in conference history:Â Â
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He has 39 TD receptions, breaking the Ohio State in all-time receiving touchdowns at No. 14 Iowa as he passed Chris Olave (2018-21):Â
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With his 31st career touchdown reception against Illinois, Smith entered the top 10 in Big Ten history in career touchdown receptions. He's second in conference history with 39 career touchdown receptions and needs one to become the Big Ten leader:Â
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More on Jaylen McClainÂ
Through seven games this season, McClain has made an impact on the defensive side of the ball, causing a turnover in all three games against ranked opponents this season with an interception at No. 4 Texas, an interception at No. 14 Iowa and a forced fumble at No. 5 Indiana.Â
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Impactful PerformancesÂ
McClain is tied for second in the Big Ten with two interceptions while ranking sixth in the conference with six pass breakups. He also ranks third on the team with 32 tackles.Â
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Smith was placed on the first team while McClain earned second-team recognition from the publication. Â
Â
This marks the third time this week Smith has been named to a midseason All-American team in addition to the Sporting News and On3. Last week, Smith was also named a midseason All-American by the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated.Â
Â
McClain was also named a midseason All-American by On3 earlier this week.Â
Â
More on Jeremiah SmithÂ
Smith goes into Saturday as the program's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and is encroaching on the Big Ten receiving yards and touchdown records.Â
Â
Through seven games this season, Smith has recorded 52 receptions, 984 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. He leads the country in receptions while ranking second nationally in yards and touchdowns. Smith leads all Power-4 receivers in yards and touchdowns.Â
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In Saturday's game at Indiana, Smith finished the game with four receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown. Â
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Smith is the sixth Buckeye in program history to record 200 or more receiving yards in a game and is one of two Ohio State receivers (Jaxon Smith-Njigba):Â
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Jeremiah Smith Top-10 Receiving GamesÂ
| Rank | Game | Receiving Yards |
| 1. | Illinois (Sept. 26, 2026) | 217 |
| 2. | at Iowa (Oct. 3, 2026) | 206 |
| 3. | vs. Oregon (Jan. 1, 2025) | 187 |
| 4. | vs. Miami (Dec. 31, 2025) | 157 |
| 5. | Ohio (Sept. 13, 2025) | 153 |
| T6. | at Texas (Sept. 12, 2026) | 151 |
| T6. | Ball State (Sept. 5, 2026) | 151 |
| 8. | vs. Indiana (Dec. 6, 2025) | 144 |
| 9. | at Purdue (Nov. 8, 2025) | 137 |
| 10. | Penn State (Nov. 1, 2025) | 123 |
He has 215 receptions and is now the program leader in career receptions, passing Emeka Egbuka (2021-24) at No. 14 Iowa:Â
| Rank | Player | Career Receptions |
| 1. | Jeremiah Smith (2024-Pres.)  | 215 |
| 2. | Emeka Egbuka (2021-24) | 205 |
| 3. | K.J. Hill (2016-19) | 201 |
| 4. | David Boston (1996-98) | 191 |
| 5. | Chris Olave (2018-21) | 176 |
His 215 career receptions, Smith moved to number nine in Big Ten history:Â
| Rank | Player | School | Career Receptions |
| 1. | Taylor Stubblefield (2001-04) | Purdue | 325 |
| 2. | Dorien Bryant (2004-07) | Purdue | 292 |
| 3. | John Standeford (2000-03) | Purdue | 266 |
| 4. | David Williams (1983-85) | Illinois | 262 |
| 5. | Braylon Edwards (2001-04) | Michigan | 252 |
| 6. | David Bell (2019-21) | Purdue | 232 |
| 7. | Eric Decker (2006-09) | Minnesota | 227 |
| 8. | B.J. Cunningham (2008-11) | Michigan State | 218 |
| 9 | Jeremiah Smith (2024-Pres.) | Ohio State | 215 |
| T10. | DaeSean Hamilton (2014-17) | Penn State | 214 |
| T10. | Isaiah Williams (2019-23) | Illinois | 214 |
Smith has 3,542 receiving yards, breaking Michael Jenkins' record of 2,898 against Kent State on Sept. 19 at Ohio Stadium. Smith is also the only receiver in program history to have over 3,000 career yards:Â
| Rank | Player | Career Receiving Yards |
| 1. | Jeremiah Smith (2024-Pres.)  | 3,542 yards  |
| 2. | Michael Jenkins (2000-03) | 2,898 yards |
| 3. | Emeka Egbuka (2021-24) | 2,868 yards |
| 4. | David Boston (1996-98) | 2,855 yards |
| 5. | Gary Williams (1979-82) | 2,792 yards |
Smith broke into the top 10 in Big Ten history in career receiving yards at No. 14 Iowa and needs 246 yards to move up to first in conference history:Â Â
| Rank | Player | School | Career Yards |
| 1. | John Standeford (2000-03) | Purdue | 3,788 yards |
| 2. | Taylor Stubblefield (2001-04) | Purdue | 3,629 yards |
| 3. | Dorien Bryant (2004-07) | Purdue | 3,548 yards |
| 4. | Jeremiah Smith (2024-Pres.) | Ohio State | 3,542 yards |
| 5. | Braylon Edwards (2001-04) | Michigan | 3,541 yards |
He has 39 TD receptions, breaking the Ohio State in all-time receiving touchdowns at No. 14 Iowa as he passed Chris Olave (2018-21):Â
| Rank | Player | Career Receiving TDs |
| 1. | Jeremiah Smith (2024-Pres.) | 39 TDs |
| 2. | Chris Olave (2018-21) | 35 TDs |
| 3. | David Boston (1996-98) | 34 TDs |
| 4. | Marvin Harrison Jr. (2021-23) | 31 TDs |
| 5. | Devin Smith (2011-14) | 30 TDs |
With his 31st career touchdown reception against Illinois, Smith entered the top 10 in Big Ten history in career touchdown receptions. He's second in conference history with 39 career touchdown receptions and needs one to become the Big Ten leader:Â
| Rank | Player | School | Career TD Receptions |
| T1. | Jeremiah Smith (2024-Pres.) | Ohio State | 39 |
| T1. | Braylon Edwards (2001-04) | Michigan | 39 |
| 3. | Anthony Carter (1979-82) | Michigan | 37 |
| 4. | James Hardy (2005-07) | Indiana | 36 |
| 5. | Chris Olave (2018-21) | Ohio State | 35 |
More on Jaylen McClainÂ
Through seven games this season, McClain has made an impact on the defensive side of the ball, causing a turnover in all three games against ranked opponents this season with an interception at No. 4 Texas, an interception at No. 14 Iowa and a forced fumble at No. 5 Indiana.Â
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Impactful PerformancesÂ
- at No. 4 Texas: Ended the game with five tackles and an interception.Â
- Illinois: Finished the game with a career-high eight tackles and a career-high four pass deflections.Â
- at No. 14 Iowa: Secured the game-sealing interception at the end of the third quarter that led to the Buckeyes last touchdown.Â
- at No. 5 Indiana: Tallied four tackles including 1.0 sacks and 1.0 tackles for loss in addition to having a key forced fumble in the second half.Â
McClain is tied for second in the Big Ten with two interceptions while ranking sixth in the conference with six pass breakups. He also ranks third on the team with 32 tackles.Â
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