Alabama coach Nick Saban likened Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith to Julio Jones after Smith’s 12-catch, 217-yard, four-touchdown game. Saban called Smith one of college football’s most dominant players and suggested he could contend for the Heisman.
Nick Saban compared Jeremiah Smith to Julio Jones, highlighting Smith’s size, strength, and dominance.
Smith posted a 12-catch, 217-yard, four-touchdown game vs. Illinois and through four games had 33 catches for 617 yards and seven touchdowns.
Independent coverage and scouting note Smith’s extensive production since 2024 (3,171 receiving yards) and strong contested-catch profile.
Nick Saban—who coached Julio Jones at Alabama and later DeVonta Smith—was asked about Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith after Smith's standout stat line against Illinois. Saban said Smith reminds him a lot of Julio Jones and called him one of the most dominant players in college football. He also raised the possibility that Smith could win the Heisman Trophy.
Saban told Rich Eisen that Smith is "big and strong" and that he thought Julio Jones "was kind of one of a kind," but that Smith "reminds me of him in a lot of ways." He added Smith is poised for a fantastic career and has already had a fantastic college career. Saban raised Smith's Heisman prospects while discussing how much impact Smith has on Ohio State's offense.
Smith's Illinois performance: 12 catches, 217 yards, four touchdowns. Through four games in the season cited, Smith had 33 catches for 617 yards and seven touchdowns. Those numbers came with eight regular-season games remaining on Ohio State's schedule at the time of reporting.
Pro scouting and weekly awards back up the high-end view of Smith. A scouting preview cited Smith's production since 2024—3,171 receiving yards—and described his receiving profile as combining size and physicality with separation ability, body control, ball tracking and a low career-drop total. He also earned a Walter Camp Offensive National Player of the Week honor following the Illinois performance.
Saban has firsthand experience evaluating elite college receivers. He coached Julio Jones at Alabama and was on staff when DeVonta Smith won the Heisman. That experience makes his comparison noteworthy: Saban is drawing a parallel based on physical traits and on-field dominance rather than hyperbole.
Saban compared Jeremiah Smith to Julio Jones because of Smith's combination of size and dominance and suggested Smith could be in the Heisman conversation. Smith's recent game and season totals give concrete evidence for that view, and independent scouting profiles and weekly awards reinforce his standing among college receivers.
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith earned Walter Camp Offensive National Player of the Week honors for his incredible performance against Illinois on Saturday. In the Buckeyes’ 42-19 win over...
Jeremiah Smith enters the 2027 NFL Draft conversation with elite production and a remarkably complete receiving profile at Ohio State. He leads qualifying FBS receivers since 2024 with 3,171 receiving yards and a 94.9 PFF receiving grade. Smith’s combination of size, separation ability, contested-catch success and reli
Each week, Yardbarker spotlights college football stars, some of whom will be playing on NFL Sundays.
Julian Sayin passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to Jeremiah Smith, as No. 1 Ohio State crushed Ball State 56-3 on Saturday af
Each week, teams will be fighting for position in an effort to make the College Football Playoff. The teams will be ranked each week, but what matters most is who they have played and defeated already on the field. Here is College Football Playoff Preseason Bracketology: September 20. Note: This will be updated followi
College football is back in a big way this Saturday, with a loaded slate featuring several ranked matchups, games like Texas vs. Tennessee, Ole Miss vs. Florida, Oklahoma vs. Georgia, and Oregon vs. USC, giving DFS players plenty of star power to work with. If you want to get involved without placing a traditional spor
Loading more related stories...
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.