Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, the No. 1 prospect on every major 2027 NFL draft big board, is now the Big Ten’s career leader in receiving yards. Smith caught 11 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown in Ohio State’s 28-19 win over Northwestern on Saturday in Columbus, bringing his career total to 3,875 yards.
Smith needed 31 yards to pass Purdue’s John Standeford, who had held the record with 3,788 yards since 2003. He got there on his fourth catch of the day, a 22-yard reception over the middle from freshman quarterback Luke Fahey late in the first quarter. The catch took Ohio State to the Northwestern 11-yard line and set up the Buckeyes’ first touchdown, a 4-yard pass from Fahey to Isaiah West early in the second quarter.
The records Smith reached on Saturday
| Record | Smith | Previous mark |
|---|---|---|
| Big Ten career receiving yards | 3,875 | 3,788, John Standeford, Purdue (2000-03) |
| FBS receiving yards in a player’s first three college seasons | 3,875 | 3,785, Corey Davis, Western Michigan |
| Big Ten career 100-yard receiving games | 17 (tied) | 17, David Bell (Purdue) and Braylon Edwards (Michigan) |
| Big Ten career receiving touchdowns | 42 | Smith already held it, after passing Braylon Edwards earlier this season |
Dane Brugler pointed out the three-year mark on X after the game: Smith’s 3,875 yards are the most in FBS history for a player in his first three college seasons, passing Western Michigan’s Corey Davis (3,785). Asked about other Big Ten receivers in a reply, Brugler wrote: “Edwards and Haas have more in a 3-year period, but both were 4-year guys. I’m just going based on first 3 years in college.”
Smith’s 42nd career touchdown catch, a 10-yard pass from Fahey in the fourth quarter, capped a three-play, 10-yard drive after long snapper Dalton Riggs recovered a muffed Northwestern punt at the Wildcats’ 10-yard line. Ohio State says that touchdown moved Smith into a tie for eighth in FBS history in career receiving touchdowns. He is also now sixth on the Big Ten’s career receptions list with 243, and 125 yards short of becoming the fifth Power Four receiver to reach 4,000 career yards.
He did it with a freshman quarterback. Fahey, making his third career start after Julian Sayin’s season-ending injury, completed 21 of 32 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception on the opening drive. Ohio State (7-3, 5-2 Big Ten) had lost two straight regular-season games before Saturday and plays at Nebraska on Nov. 21.
Where Smith sits on the 2027 boards
Saturday’s game did not change where Smith stands in the draft class. He is No. 1 on every big board we have tracked this month, and he goes first overall to the Los Angeles Chargers in all six full first-round mocks we compared after the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
| Board or mock | Smith |
|---|---|
| Mel Kiper Jr. top 25 (Nov. 12) | No. 1 |
| Dane Brugler midseason top 50 | No. 1 |
| Jordan Reid updated top 50 | No. 1 |
| Nate Tice big board | No. 1 |
| Eric Edholm top 50 | No. 1 |
| Kiper and Field Yates top-10 mock | No. 1 to the Chargers |
| Renner, Thorn and DeLeone-Roberts mocks | No. 1 to the Chargers in all three |
| Wasserman, Rogers and Iyer mocks | No. 1 to the Chargers in all three |
Edholm wrote that he expects Smith to be the highest-drafted non-quarterback next spring, “perhaps even going first overall.” No receiver has gone first overall since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996. For how Smith’s numbers built toward that conversation, see our step-by-step look at Smith and the No. 1 pick.
One other Ohio State defender had a big day. Fifth-year defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. had six tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks as the Buckeyes recorded a season-high five sacks and held Northwestern to 53 rushing yards. Jackson was 40th on Brugler’s preseason top 50 in August but is not in his midseason top 50.
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