Jeremiah Smith's Dad Reacts to WR Being Named Ohio State Captain in Heartwarming Video

The best player in college football is going to be one of the captains of the top-ranked team in college football going into the 2026 season.

Ohio State announced its full list of seven captains for the upcoming campaign, and star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was one of those selected by his teammates. The Buckeyes also released an emotional video of Smith and wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton calling the playmaker's father to break the news:

"I'm going to tell you how much it means to him," Hankton said in the video. "This young dude over here had tears of joy afterwards. Just when he was named and when he found out how much he means to his teammates. He walks around every day with a sense of humility and grace and does his job at a high level.

"But to be named the captain, it means a lot to him. I want you to know that. We're all proud of him."

Smith was joined by wide receiver Brandon Inniss, defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr., safety Jaylen McClain, linebacker Payton Pierce, quarterback Julian Sayin and offensive lineman Austin Siereveld as the team captains.

Smith stands out as the clear-cut best player in the sport, at least in the eyes of B/R's NFL Scouting Department. The wide receiver was ranked No. 1 on the early big board with a score of 9.8, creating plenty of separation from the 9.0 score for second-ranked player Leonard Moore.

In fact, the ninth-ranked player was closer to Moore than Moore was to Smith.

All the wide receiver has done in two years at Ohio State is win a national championship in his first and be named a consensus All-American in his second. He had more than 1,200 receiving yards in each season and has 27 career touchdown catches.

He has also been at his best in some of the biggest moments with a combined 290 yards and four touchdowns in College Football Playoff wins over Tennessee and Oregon, a touchdown in the national championship game win over Notre Dame, and touchdowns in each of his two games against archrival Michigan.

Expect more of the same from the potential Heisman contender in 2026, especially now that he is a captain of the Buckeyes.