“I’m Stupid”: Jeremiah Smith Receives Public Apology From SEC Legend Over Controversial OSU Statement

Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith has time and again proved himself on the biggest of occasions. But when Ohio State went to Iowa City to face the Hawkeyes, many expected the defense to limit the OSU star. Except Smith became the demolition expert. He pummeled through Iowa’s defense and caught for 206 yards.

Who could forget when his 57-yard touchdown broke Ohio State’s all-time career receiving TD record? He still has more than half of the season to play. So, it was not unusual to see a former UGA All-American take back his words on the OSU sensation.

“I apologize, I was wrong,” David Pollack said on Bleacher Report’s October 6 podcast. “You were right; everyone else is smart. I’m stupid. He’s the best player in college football. It’s very clear he put up another 200 now.”

Smith kept adding to Ohio State’s record book. He passed Emeka Egbuka for the most catches in school history, then moved ahead of Michael Jenkins for career receiving yards.

When a college football icon publicly walks back a criticism, it signals a shift in the narrative. Stay ahead of the latest developments in elite recruiting and SEC dynamics with EssentiallySports.

He also surpassed Chris Olave for the program’s career touchdown record. His 36th TD came on a 57-yard pass from Sayin. On the next catch, he broke the receptions record.

Pollack’s original argument was not that Smith was ordinary. Pollack had praised Texas’ Cam Coleman and believed Coleman’s all-around game made him the better choice.

But Smith has spent the first five games of this season turning that comparison into a much harder conversation. He already had a 217-yard, four-touchdown game against Illinois on Sept. 26 before entering the Iowa game.

There is also the consistency behind those huge afternoons. He already had 2,558 receiving yards and 27 touchdown receptions through his first two seasons, numbers that already ranked first nationally among players during that span.

Ohio State has also moved him around the formation. He lined up outside, worked from the slot, and created problems regardless of where Iowa tried to account for him.

“Okay, the superhuman mutant moved all over the field. He’s done a little bit of everything,” Pollack said. “I’m one of the people that, when you continue to talk about somebody all the time. He’s that good. It’s warranted.”

Julian Sayin kept finding him, and Jeremiah Smith repeatedly turned those opportunities into chunk plays. And Smith did not exactly hide from the attention afterward.

Following the win, he said he believed he was the best player in the country and made the Heisman pose after his long touchdown. That confidence came after a game in which he had just rewritten another piece of Ohio State history.

Cam Coleman arrived at Texas with the kind of résumé that usually comes with immediate expectations. He was the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal and had already posted two productive seasons at Auburn.

Four games into the season, though, Coleman has been more of a big-play option than a weekly centerpiece. He has caught 12 passes for 208 yards and four touchdowns.

That is 17.3 yards per catch, and the touchdowns show what Texas can get from him when the ball comes his way. But he has also been targeted only 20 times, an average of five targets per game. Smith, instead, is operating on another level.

Coleman was on the field for the same defense that Smith eventually tore apart. Coleman finished with four catches for 49 yards. Smith caught eight passes for 164 yards and a touchdown.

That does not mean Coleman played badly. Texas won 24-23 after Arch Manning led the fourth-quarter comeback. But it shows the difference in how each offense uses its star receiver. Moreover, Coleman has more competition at Texas.

Ryan Wingo, Emmett Mosley V, and Coleman give Steve Sarkisian three talented options on the outside. Against Tennessee, Wingo led Texas with six catches for 74 yards, while Coleman had one reception. Mosley also added a 43-yard catch.

That makes Coleman’s smaller role easier to understand. It also exposes what is not working. In truth, Coleman is actually averaging less yards per catch than Jeremiah Smith this season.

He has four touchdowns on just 12 catches, and when Texas gives him room, he can turn one play into a big gain. The bigger difference is how often they get the ball.

Ohio State keeps going back to Jeremiah Smith until a defense finds a way to slow him down. Coleman has not had that same chance at Texas. The Longhorns still have to make him a bigger part of the offense.

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