Another record for Jeremiah Smith: Ohio State star WR breaks Big Ten all-time receiving yards mark

Nov 14, 2026 at 1:14 pm ET • 1 min read

Jeremiah Smith has rewritten the record books a lot throughout his three seasons at Ohio State, and he just broke a record that stood for 23 years on Saturday. With his 22-yard reception in the first quarter against Northwestern, Smith is now the Big Ten's all-time leader in receiving yards.

Smith entered the day trailing Purdue receiver John Standeford, who set the record with 3,788 career yards in 2003. Since then, great receivers have come and gone in the Big Ten, but none have sniffed Standeford's record.

That is, until Saturday, when Smith finally passed him. The historic play came late in the first quarter when freshman quarterback Luke Fahey found Smith running free over the middle of the field for a 22-yard gain.

The list of records that Smith owns only continues to grow -- at the NCAA, school and conference levels. Oh, and he still has at least two more games left in him.

• NCAA -- Freshman receiving yards (1,315)
• NCAA -- Freshman receiving touchdowns (15)
• Big Ten -- Career receptions (232)
• Big Ten -- Career receiving touchdowns (41)
• Big Ten -- Career receiving yards (3,798)
• Ohio State -- Most 100-yard games (16)
• Ohio State -- Single-game receiving touchdowns (4)

The question now is whether Smith will cap his incredible career with the greatest individual honor in college football. An injury to Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney has opened the door wide open for Smith to make a serious push. If he continues to tear up the stat sheet in the final three weeks, Smith may hear his name called in New York.

In fact, Smith is now the favorite to win the award at +150, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Darian Mensah (+340) and C.J. Carr (+370) are the only other players even close to the Buckeyes superstar.

Even if Smith falls short of the award, due largely to the injury to starting quarterback Julian Sayin, he will have a lasting legacy in college football. He's set the bar high for any receivers trying to chase him down in the future.