Ohio State HC Ryan Day has high hopes for 5-star freshman WR Jeremiah Smith: "His impact is going to be felt pretty quickly"

The Ohio State Buckeyes are entering their sixth season under coach Ryan Day. Initially, when Day took over in 2019, the Buckeyes were a formidable team in the Big Ten, winning two consecutive conference titles. However, the last few seasons have been pretty lackluster for the Buckeyes.

Last season, Day led Ohio State to an 11-2 overall campaign, including a Cotton Bowl Classic loss to Missouri. Day has since used the offseason to revamp his squad ahead of the new campaign. Apart from bringing in several talents from the transfer portal, he also secured the commitment of several top recruiting prospects, including five-star freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

In an interview with SportsCenter, Ryan Day revealed what fans can expect from the freshman next season. He said that while Smith is yet to play his first snap for the team, he can sense that the WR is a special talent who will quickly carve a name for himself on the gridiron:

"He has not even taken a snap yet. So we're just gonna wait and see. But it's quick, it doesn't take long to figure out when you watch him practice how special he is and how special he can be," Day said. "I think his impact is going to be felt really quickly."

Coming out of Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School, Jeremiah Smith finalized his commitment to Ryan Day's team last December. The young wide receiver has quite the high school record, winning the All-American Bowl Player of the Year Award during his senior season.

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Josh Pate predicts unfavorable outcome for Ryan Day if they lose to Michigan in 2024

Apart from planning on being the top Big Ten team in 2024, Ohio State has another major goal for the season: Secure a win over their rivals the Michigan Wolverines.

Notably, Ryan Day has lost the past three games to Michigan, and according to CFB analyst Josh Pate, if the Buckeyes succumb to another defeat at the hands of the Wolverines, then it may lead to potential ramifications for the head coach.

"It would be a disaster in Ohio State. It would be a disaster," Pate said. "There's this weird thing in college football that's both beautiful and terrifying, and that is the impact and weight of rivalry games. If Ohio State loses to Michigan, I don't care what they did elsewhere in the season, it will be an illogical conversation for Ryan Day from that point out."

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After Jim Harbaugh led Michigan to a natty victory last year, he decided to leave Ann Arbor for the NFL, and Sherrone Moore was subsequently hired as the new coach. It will be interesting to see if the Buckeyes can go on to finally emerge victorious against the Wolverines next season.