Jeremiah Smith & Wide Receiver Coach Cortez Hankton Speak to Media Following Saturday’s Practice
3/28/2026 1:14:00 PM | Football
On embracing the standard of Ohio State and how he is going to raise it:
“Well, first and foremost I love winning. I love being the best and so as a competitor that is not going to change. When you walk into a place where the culture is already set, it becomes easy. When you are coaching young men who embrace being coached, embrace doing the hard things every single day, there is always going to be opportunity for growth and development.”
On working with Jeremiah Smith:
“It is a blessing. I am grateful and I am thankful because he is a generational talent, but more importantly, he is a fine young man. He is a great kid and he yearns to learn football. He yearns to be coached and he is like that every single day. He has been a sponge. We have put a lot on his plate and he has handled it well.”
On what Coach Hank has brought to the team and the wide receiver room:
“He has brought a lot of juice to the program, especially in the receiver room. He is a big help for all of us, all the young guys, and the veterans. He is a guy that fits our culture and fits everything we ask for as a receiver coach, and I am blessed to have him on our team.”
On how he is trying to improve his game:
“I am always trying to find ways to get better, this offseason to really try and advance my IQ of the game, be better at yards after the catch. That really is the biggest emphasis in our wide receiver room this year, especially a goal for us.”
On the responsibility of being one of the oldest guys in the room this year:
“It is pretty crazy how time flies, I’m going into my junior year now and I remember when I was just a little freshman out here running around and making plays. Like you said I am one of the oldest guys in the room, so I have to continue to come in each and every day and continue Ohio State's standard as a receiver.”
Talking about being an Iron Buckeye and why it is important to his career:
“I am the hardest working person on the team, you know all the accolades and stuff I got, I still have the mentality that I am always going to be the hardest working player on my team. In high school, I was the hardest-working player, and even in the NFL, I am still going to be the hardest-working player on the team. It is something that has been instilled in me as a little kid, and that's the only thing I am going to do is work hard.”
