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Ranking Ohio State freshman Jeremiah Smith's most jaw-dropping highlights

Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith was one of the standouts of the first month of the college football season, making frequent highlight catches.

The No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2024 entered this season with tremendous expectations after turning heads throughout the offseason, and he has lived up to those expectations by recording 19 catches, 364 yards, five receiving touchdowns in just four games and scored a rushing touchdown.

The freshman from Miami has made one-handed tackles look easy, turning short catches into touchdowns after running away from entire defenses. Every game he seems to make a new catch that trends on social media – although Alabama's star freshman Ryan Williams stole the show on a bigger stage against Georgia on Saturday.

Let's evaluate Smith's best plays ahead of the Buckeyes' game Saturday against Iowa, which features the best defense he's faced yet.

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How an Ohio State freshman became the “ultimate cheat code.”

1. One-handed? Double team? No problem

The touchdown Smith had after that was notable, but this one was Smith's favorite. It's absurd.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard has said he just needs to give Smith a chance to catch the ball, and he's confident the freshman can handle it. This was one of those situations.

“Set it up and he’ll make the play,” Howard said after Smith’s first game. “That’s all I have to do is give him a chance and he’ll do the rest.”

Michigan State was at maximum security to prevent something like that from happening, but that just goes to show how difficult it is to stop Smith. He does a good job on that corner route, running right past the outside cornerback by playing the flat. Howard gets rid of the ball at just the right moment to give Smith a chance to catch the ball between the two defenders, and then it's all in the talented rookie's hands.

His only hope of catching him was to catch him with one hand, and he succeeds despite the Michigan State safety ripping off his face mask and pulling the corner of his legs.

Ohio State's receivers have made some incredible catches over the years. This is right up there with the best.

2. The press box goes wild

I've never seen a press box react to a play like they did to Smith's touchdown catch.

This happened just a few plays after his one-handed catch on the sideline, so the reaction to it was even greater. To be clear, no cheering is allowed in the press box, but this catch had people standing and pacing the aisle in response. Even NFL scouts had an unusual reaction to this catch.

“What an incredible catch,” Ryan Day said afterwards. “I couldn’t believe he caught it.”

Smith can make any play look easy no matter who his quarterback is, and that's proven again here. Devin Brown had to fill in for Howard, who was taken out of the game earlier in the game after running out of breath.

This was another two-high look, and Smith does a great job of winning from the line against the beleaguered corner and getting into the sweet spot between safety and corner. To Brown's credit, although the ball was slightly overturned, he got rid of it at the right time to hit the window.

Smith shows once again that if a quarterback gives him a chance, he will make the play. He did it again and then helped Ohio State to an easy win.

3. Welcome to college football

That was my first “Oh, this kid is awesome” moment in a game

His first touchdown was a nice fade – it's on this list too – but that was an eye-opener for me because I still don't know how he caught it.

There's a lot to love about Smith, from his speed to his catch radius, but the way he adapts to throws is truly impressive for an 18-year-old. It doesn't matter if he's open and has to adjust or if there's a player draped over him; He finds a way to get the ball in his hands. That was it.

He had to slow down and prepare his hands for that throw through contact and then make sure the ground didn't take him out.

4. First of many touchdowns

We saw that in all preseason camps. If Ohio State hits the 20 mark, the focus will be on Smith.

It didn't take long for this to come into play in a game. It's just Akron, but this is still an impressive catch from Smith, who has really good body control.

As is often the case in these clips, he does a good job of getting out of the press and preparing for his route. He gets a good position and Howard puts a good ball on Smith's back shoulder.

5. Yes, he can walk too

There are numerous options for the fifth catch on this list, but I chose this one because it showcases another part of Smith's game: his speed.

At 6'3″ tall and weighing 200lbs, one might expect Smith to physically impose his will on his opponents. But he's also a speedster.

This is particularly impressive because he almost completely intercepts this pass. He has three defenders around him, runs past them, and then outruns the six defenders chasing him for a 70-yard touchdown.

I don't think there's anything on the field that Smith can't do – and he's only four games into his career. The best is yet to come, and that's a scary thought for the Big Ten defense that will play Ohio State for the next two and a half seasons.

(Photo: Barbara J. Perenic / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

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