No matter your persuasions or rooting interests as a college football fan. The 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony was a watershed moment for the sport as a collective. A lot of prejudice and notions, both fair and fallacious, got dispelled on that podium in New York. Travis Hunter’s triumph cut right through a couple of nagging stereotypes. Like how the moniker for the best player in the sport can’t apply to someone plying their trade in a “lesser” conference. Or, more importantly, how the Heisman is transitioning into a quarterback-only award. Hunter is a trailblazer in more than one way. Not only has he widened the spectrum about what it means to be a footballer with his 2-way dominance. He’s also paved the way for another generational non-QB, Jeremiah Smith, to go ahead and succeed in his Heisman.
The football sphere is running out of superlatives to describe Jeremiah Smith quicker than he can run a route. A player who’s transcended what it meant to be a true freshman. Labeling him a prodigy or even generational almost feels like a disservice to his other talented contemporaries. Still only 19, Smith’s already earned plaudits as one of the best in the sport. Certainly, in his own position group as a wide receiver. Well, Jeremiah Smith seems to be picking things up in 2025 exactly where he left them off with that glorious final catch in the Natty. According to the oddsmakers, he’s the favorite for the Heisman among the non-quarterbacks. That said, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Josh Pate, who knows a thing or two about CFB and how its accolades are dished out, aired the reality of Smith’s shot at glory.
Over his namesake show, Josh Pate was confronted with a question. Are we about to see back-to-back non-QB Heisman recipients. A straightforward premise that’s not very black or white once you scratch the surface. Right off the bat, Pate mentioned how 36 of the top 38 favorites, according to Vegas, are quarterbacks. But that doesn’t discount Jeremiah Smith since he’s indeed one of the two outliers. However, Josh Pate presented just how difficult it is for a receiver—even one of Smith’s ilk—to win the award. You may still remember that DeVonta Smith win in ‘20 vividly. But he was a real exception to the norm.
Image credits: Imago
“Think about what it took last year. Travis Hunter won this thing… [but] it took him playing both ways to win it,” remarked Pate. “DeVonta Smith won it at wide receiver. He also, I think, had a quarterback that was the finalist.” Indeed, DeVonta shared the podium with his Alabama QB, Mac Jones. Geez, talk about a fall from grace.
Alas, Pate proceeded to drive his point home. “That’s always the Catch-22. If Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State ends up doing [well], it was probably Julian Sayin throwing him the ball. So, is this one of those inverted dynamics where the wide receiver outshines the quarterback? Could be. Could be,” he said. Only 4 pure WRs have ever won the Heisman, excluding Travis Hunter. Only one (DeVonta) since 1991. Perhaps this is a QB-exclusive awareness, after all. But at least Josh Pate does acknowledge Jeremiah Smith can break through.
Depending on where you look, Smith has the joint 3rd best odds to win (+1200). This is obviously a very far-sighted projection, but it does help contextualize things. The next non-QB in the fray is fellow teenage WR sensation Ryan Williams at Bama (+4000). The gulf between the two in terms of odds is something. Pate did say Smith could “outshine” his QB—which may or may not be Sayin—and later added he sees only a WR winning the Heisman if it’s not a QB. With all this baked in, Jeremiah Smith’s tryst with supremacy is unlikely—but not something beyond him. There are a few prominent roadblocks in his path, though. Two quarterbacks with last names that hold some weight at the position and an unassuming wildcard.
Jeremiah Smith trails only Arch Manning and Garrett Nussmeier, but do the oddsmakers have a blindspot?
Arch Manning’s time to shine in that Austin sun is finally here. The former 5-star has shown restraint and patience, paying his dues and biding time behind Quinn Ewers at Texas. Now that he’s got the QB1 shirt, the simmering hype has finally boiled over. Manning has the joint best odds to win the Heisman (+850). A pedestal he shares with LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier. Now, Nuss’ family lineage may not be as prominent, but his dad, Doug Nussmeier, is an NFL vet who now serves as a QBs coach in the league. His tutelage and acumen sure have permeated over to Garrett. But both these players, alongside Jeremiah Smith, are facing a threat from an unlikely source. Former player turned CFB analyst Adam Breneman is throwing another name in the hat.
“I’m trying to give you someone you haven’t heard yet. Someone that’s completely flying under the radar and is Kurtis Rourke’s replacement at Indiana. It’s Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza is 6’5 with a huge arm and had 3,000 yards at California last season. I like anybody in Curt Cignetti’s offense. But I’m especially excited to see what Mendoza does in this system in 2025,” remarked Breneman. Cignetti and IU saw a midnight strike on their Cinderella run last season. But perhaps a new signal caller in Mendoza can reignite what was magic run through the B1G into the playoffs for the Hoosiers. Rourke’s ascension to the NFL does leave a void under center. Maybe Mendoza can indeed ruffle some feathers or more.
One thing is definitive. Jeremiah Smith doesn’t need more hardware to prove the extent of his talent. Evidenced by how nobody seems to be fazed by Ryan Day and Ohio State not having finalized the QB that will throw to him. He’s already stirring discourse about changing the eligibility rules so that he can make it to the NFL earlier than the current norm. Akin to LeBron James over 2 decades ago. This is a bona fide stud. That said, winning the Heisman sure will be nice for the archives. To do so, he’ll probably have to go far and beyond his contemporaries Arch Manning and Garrett Nussmeier. Put up numbers very few receivers have ever put up. Be the star of the show from the perimeter. In other words, be Jeremiah Smith.
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