Smith-Njigba Calls Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith the 'LeBron' of Buckeyes WRs
JSN, fresh off a 360-point PPR season (2025), says Smith is unlike any receiver Columbus has produced. Here's what it means for your 2027 dynasty board.
WR2 overall in our ranks and still just scratching his ceiling.
- JSN finished 2025 with 360 PPR pts, our WR2
- Jeremiah Smith: 154.3 yds/game through 4 games (2026)
- Smith leads nation with 7 TD catches, 4 vs Illinois
- JSN ranks #8 overall in our 2026 board
- Smith already owns OSU's career receiving-yards record
Jaxon Smith-Njigba doesn't hand out comparisons lightly, so when the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year drops a LeBron James reference, people listen. On the Set, Hut! show this week with Kyle Long and Russell Wilson, the Seahawks star said Ohio State has simply never produced a receiver like current Buckeye Jeremiah Smith — a program that already put Cris Carter, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson into the league.
The numbers back the hype. Smith came into 2026 as a Heisman favorite and has only raised the bar, averaging 154.3 receiving yards per game and leading the nation with seven touchdown catches through four games — four of them last week against Illinois. He's already set Ohio State's all-time receiving-yards record in just 33 games and is closing on the Big Ten mark.
Smith-Njigba's point was sharper than simple praise. He stressed that Smith keeps producing even when defenses are tilted entirely toward him, which is the clearest marker of an elite receiver. JSN said NFL teams should be lining up to grab him next spring, and framed him as the kind of cornerstone a franchise builds around.
Why the JSN Stamp Matters
Context is everything here. Smith-Njigba isn't a hype man — he's coming off a 2025 season (17 games) of 119 catches, 1,793 yards and 10 scores for 360 PPR points, which landed him as our WR2 and the No. 8 overall player on our 2026 board. When a player operating at that level says a prospect is different, dynasty managers should treat it as a scouting note, not a soundbite.
The Buckeye lineage he name-checked only underscores the bar. Olave posted 270 PPR points across 16 games in 2025 and sits as our WR6 (No. 27 overall). Garrett Wilson managed just 100 PPR points in an injury-shortened seven-game 2025, slipping to WR60. Smith is being measured against proven NFL producers before he's even draft-eligible.
For now, Smith stays off your actual fantasy radar — he's got another year in Columbus and won't hit the NFL until the 2027 class. The actionable move is on JSN himself: at our WR2, he's a league-winner you buy without blinking if a frustrated manager ever floats him. File Smith's name for your 2027 rookie boards and start the FOMO early.
No. 5 Ohio State hosts No. 14 Iowa at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, and Smith's stock only climbs with every sold-out stat line.
