Jeremiah Smith Gets Lofty NFL Comparison From Ohio State Teammate

Ohio State Buckeyes' cornerback Denzel Burke gave the freshman wide receiver a big-time NFL wide receiver comparison on the Bobby Carpenter Show.

April 13, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) canÕt catch a pass for the scarlet team while defended by cornerback Jermaine Mathews (24) of the grey team during the first half of the LifeSports Spring Game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. / Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch /

There is a good chance that true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith takes the college football world by storm with the Ohio State Buckeyes this season. Landing Smith was a major win for the 2024 Ohio State recruiting class as he was the No. 1 overall prospect in the class. His size, speed and natural ability makes it easy to see why expectations are already so high for the young receiver.

After enrolling early at Ohio State and getting to practice with the Buckeyes in the spring, Smith impressed teammates, coaches, media and really everyone out there. One of his teammates joined The Bobby Carpenter Show with Anthony Schlegel on BIGPLAY and even gave a big NFL comparison for Smith.

Cornerback Denzel Burke is scheduled to represent the Buckeyes at Big Ten Media Day with wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and defensive end Jack Sawyer on Tuesday. Prior to sitting in front of a microphone and fielding questions from the media in Indianapolis, Indiana, Burke told Bobby Carpenter and Joshua Perry that Smith is "a young Julio Jones".

Denzel talking about Jeremiah Smith👀@BobbyCarpShow pic.twitter.com/hudBFrf15V

— BuckeyeM⭕️B (@Buckeye_Mob) July 22, 2024

Julio Jones is some high praise from Burke because Jones was a force to be reckoned with at Alabama and in the NFL. In three seasons with the Crimson Tide, Jones caught 179 passes for 2,653 yards and 15 touchdowns. Although Jones's career in the league is slowing down, he did have a six season stretch where he had 1,000 receiving yards each year. Many would have considered him one of the most dominant wide receivers from 2014-2019. His impressive NFL stats from a 13-year career total to 914 receptions, 13,703 yards and 66 touchdowns.

At 6'3", 220 pounds, Jones is a large and physical wide receiver. Smith is already listed at 6'3", 215 pounds on Ohio State's roster. Although Smith has a long career ahead of him to get to this point, perhaps Burke is onto something with this comparison.

Mar 7, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) returns a punt during spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

Burke certainly has the understanding of what it is like to face him during spring practices and mentioned that it will be fun facing him during the fall.

Iron sharpens iron and Smith is set to test Ohio State defensive backs in the coming weeks before the season starts.