Jeremiah Smith and Brock Boyd couldn’t have been much more different as recruits, but their first springs at Ohio State were similar.
Smith was the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class. Boyd was the No. 731 overall prospect in the 2026 class. Smith, who’s 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds, looks like the wide receiver you’d build in a lab. Boyd, who’s 6-foot-1 and 184 pounds, is far from the first person you’d pick out of a lineup to be an Ohio State wideout.
Yet as Smith watched Boyd go through his first 15 practices as a Buckeye this spring, Ohio State’s superstar wide receiver saw himself in the three-star freshman from Texas.
“Brock surprised me a lot,” Smith said Wednesday at Big Ten Media Days. “Especially this spring, he was out there just making plays, diving for the ball, two defenders on him, doing a lot of crazy stuff. It reminded me of myself when I first got here in the spring, just out there making plays and having fun. So he's going to play a lot this year.”
Jeremiah Smith says Brock Boyd reminded him of himself this spring.
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) July 29, 2026
“He was out there just making plays, diving for the ball, two defenders on him, doing a lot of crazy stuff. It reminded me of myself when I first got here in the spring, just out there making plays and having… pic.twitter.com/BUEyuS1bJd
Boyd emulated Smith by losing his black stripe in just six practices this spring, becoming the third-fastest freshman to do so – behind only Smith (four practices) and Carnell Tate (five practices) – since Urban Meyer started the tradition at Ohio State in 2012. He drew considerable praise this spring from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton, who collectively raved about Boyd’s toughness, football IQ, route-running ability, hands and change-of-direction quickness.
“This is somebody who knows how to run a route. He's serious about it. He can play multiple positions. And he's productive,” Day said this spring. “His dad's a receiver coach, and he plays that way. But he's got quick twitch. He can change direction. He's got strong hands. I'm excited to see where his career goes.”
“He was out there just making plays, diving for the ball, two defenders on him, doing a lot of crazy stuff. It reminded me of myself when I first got here in the spring, just out there making plays and having fun.”– Jeremiah Smith on Brock Boyd’s performance this spring
Realistically, no one should expect Boyd to make the same level of immediate impact at Ohio State that Smith did as a freshman. After all, Smith immediately became the No. 1 receiver on an offense that included Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate, catching 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, including the game-sealing 56-yard catch on 3rd-and-11 in Ohio State’s national championship win over Notre Dame.
Five-star recruit Chris Henry Jr. might be the more likely freshman wide receiver to start right away this season, especially after Day went out of his way to highlight Henry as a player who had a “very good offseason” during his interview session at Big Ten Media Days. Brandon Inniss is a returning starter alongside Smith, while transfers Devin McCuin and Kyle Parker are also candidates to play big roles in this year’s offense, giving Boyd plenty of competition for playing time.
But considering Smith is the best wide receiver in college football, his endorsement of Boyd entering preseason camp – and prediction that Boyd will see frequent playing time – certainly carries weight and suggests Boyd is on the fast track to making an impact for the Buckeyes.
“For a freshman, for him to know every receiver spot and what they're doing, that's pretty impressive,” Smith said. “He's a very smart football player, and he’s going to play a lot this year.”
Ohio State’s quarterback had good things to say about Boyd on Wednesday, too.
“Brock, really smart player, has done things the right way,” Julian Sayin said. “He’s always where he's supposed to be, so I think he's going to be a good player.”
