At this point, there seemingly aren’t enough superlatives to describe Ohio State star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith’s dominance as a true freshman.
But according to the Football Writers Association of America, “Freshman of the Year” isn’t one of them.
On Wednesday, the FWAA announced the three recipients for its Freshman of the Year Award, which reward a first-year player on offense, defense and special teams. And while many understandably assumed that Smith would be a shoe-in for the offensive portion of the honors, that turned out not to be the case, with South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers receiving the award.
Sellers, to his credit, enjoyed a strong freshman season in Columbia, completing 65.6 percent of his passes for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Florence, South Carolina, native also added 674 yards and seven scores on the ground while leading the Gamecocks to 9-3 regular-season record.
But while Sellers’ redshirt freshman season was undoubtedly solid, it paled in comparison to Smith’s. That’s not even a knock on Sellers — at least it’s not supposed to be. At this point, there are very few, if any players in country — of any age — who could challenge the Miami Gardens native’s debut campaign.
Arriving in Columbus as the No. 1 overall recruit in the country, Smith lived up to the hype and then some. Through the first 15 games of his freshman season, the former 5-star prospect tallied 71 receptions for 1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns, playing a key role in Ohio State’s run to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Jeremiah Smith said ✌️
The @OhioStateFB star opened the scoring in the Rose Bowl with this 45 yard touchdown 💥#B1GFootball x #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/3nFrn3KzKt
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 2, 2025
Even if Smith’s dominant run through the College Football Playoff — which included a seven-reception, 187-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Buckeyes’ win over Oregon in the Rose Bowl — didn’t count for award-voting purposes, his status as the top freshman in the country had already been established. After all, there’s a reason why ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky speculated that NFL teams will be tanking for the Ohio State star when he’s draft eligible in 2027.
Short of award voters merely getting tired of voting for Smith or out-thinking themselves by going with a less obvious choice, it’s tough to even think of an explanation for how an award snub this egregious could even happen. In any event, if the point of an award is to reward the most deserving candidate while providing a snapshot of a season, the FWAA’s Freshman of the Year honors failed to do either.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.