Jeremiah Smith didn’t say much after the Biletnikoff Award slipped through his fingers last December. People called it a snub because the Ohio State WR had it all: the numbers, the moments, the honors, and the comparisons. But then, USC Makai Lemon beat him to it. Still, the loudest reaction often comes after the silence, and his recent social media post shows he’s got unfinished business. 

On his Instagram story, Jeremiah Smith posted a photo of the Biletnikoff Award with Ohio State’s two winners attached to it. Terry Glenn in 1995 and Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2023. Then came the caption.

“All or nothing‼️”

Just three words that summarize how Ohio State players are built. The message gets even louder when you know the history behind that trophy in Columbus. Terry Glenn was the original standard-setter back in 1995. The late Buckeye WR exploded for 1,411 yards and 17 touchdowns, won the Biletnikoff Award, and became a consensus All-American. 

For nearly three decades after that, Ohio State kept producing NFL receivers who never secured the award. The drought lasted 28 years until Marvin Harrison Jr. finally broke it in 2023 after beating out Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze. He won it after 67 catches for over 1,200 yards and 14 TDs. Now here comes Jeremiah Smith, two years into college football, focused on winning that coveted award.

People still wonder why Jeremiah Smith didn’t win it in 2025. He finished last season with 80 catches for 1,086 yards and 11 scores while missing time with injuries late in the year against Rutgers and UCLA. Meanwhile, Lemon finished with 79 receptions for 1,156 yards and the same touchdown total. It was a close one, but then the OSU WR also won Big Ten Receiver of the Year over the Trojans’ receiver. He even became the only WR to finish inside the Heisman Trophy top 10. 

So, losing that Biletnikoff award became motivational fuel. Shortly after the award announcement, Jeremiah Smith posted a clip from Paid in Full on social media, one of those classic “remember everything they said about me” scenes. People around the program saw it as a warning sign for everybody else because this star was already terrifying before he had a grudge.

Over two seasons, he’s stacked 156 receptions, 2,401 yards, and 26 touchdowns. As a freshman in 2024, he helped Ohio State win a national championship while posting 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. And now Jeremiah Smith is entering another season with an “all or nothing” mentality attached to a perceived snub.

That mentality brings Ohio State to an interesting place heading into this season. The Buckeyes believe Jeremiah Smith can rewrite the school record book. And even the 20-year-old is keen on leaving an impact behind. 

Jeremiah Smith’s mindset keeps evolving

The hype that comes with football doesn’t distract Jeremiah Smith, despite being viewed by NFL scouts as a future top-three draft pick. A few days ago, on May 17, he posted a simple message on X.

“Football come and go, but the impact you leave on people last forever,” he posted.

This is a player who could’ve bagged multi-millions if he hopped into the transfer portal. But of course, Ryan Day’s program made the most sense. Ohio State isn’t known as WR-U for no reason. Meanwhile, the surrounding expectations are becoming sky-high. OSU insider Stephen Means recently predicted Jeremiah Smith will record 115 catches this season. 

“I am saying that Jeremiah Smith is going to have 115 catches this year,” he said on his show. “So, he will be the sixth-ever 100-catch season in Big Ten history and the first-ever 100-catch season by an Ohio State Buckeye.” 

The current school record belongs to Parris Campbell with 90 receptions back in 2018. Could he shatter that record? And with his “all or nothing” mentality, he could just be Ohio State’s third WR to win the Biletnikoff Award in his final CFB season. 2026 is a crucial season for Jeremiah Smith.