Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith Breaks Silence on Freshman of The Year Snub Ahead of CFP

Despite an incredible season from Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the true freshman was passed over for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound receiver was the No. 1 recruit coming out of Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Hollywood, Florida. Smith, a former five-star, exploded onto the scene this season for the Buckeyes. He led the team, and all freshman, with 1,037 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on 63 catches. As No. 8 seed Ohio State (11-2) prepares to take on No. 1 Oregon (13-0) in a Rose Bowl quarterfinal College Football Playoff matchup, Smith broke silence about missing out on the freshman of the year to Texas linebacker Colin Simmons. Simmons, also a former five-star, racked up 39 total tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, an interception and three forced fumbles for the Longhorns this season. No. 5 Texas (12-2) will take on No. 4 Arizona State (11-2) in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal. Smith gave props to Simmons and noted that he spoke with former Alabama tailback Shaun Alexander, who earned the honor of representing the freshman of the year award in 2019

I mean, Colin is a great player as well,” he said in a press conference. “I can’t really knock him. Shaun (Alexander) is a great guy. I talked to him two weeks ago. He’s a great guy. I learned a lot of things.” Smith did receive plenty of other national recognition for his big year. He took home multiple awards, including Big Ten Receiver of the Year, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-America honors. Ohio State-Oregon is slated for 5 p.m. ET on New Year’s Day (ESPN). The Buckeyes are listed as 2.5-point favorites, per ESPN BET.