During a red-zone drill in Ohio State’s training camp practice Thursday, cornerback Davison Igbinosun broke up a fade pass in the end zone intended for freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

As is his wont, Igbonisun celebrated boisterously with a healthy amount of trash-talking. Smith took it in stride, calmly uttering one sentence.

“I said, ‘OK, I’m going to be back,’” Smith said.

Later in practice, Smith made a contested catch deep down the sideline with Igbinosin in tight coverage. Smith didn’t celebrate wildly. He uttered only one sentence to Igbinosun.

“I said, ‘I told you I’m coming back, right?’” Smith said.

He recalled the sequence matter-of-factly. Smith is soft-spoken, not boastful. But he has confidence that’s rooted in talent and maturity that's rare for his age.

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Smith is only a freshman, but he’s unlike any freshman receiver the Buckeyes have had. In recent years, Ohio State has had a ridiculous pipeline of receivers, from Chris Olave to Garrett Wilson to Jaxon Smith-Njigba to Marvin Harrison Jr., all first-round NFL draft picks.

None of them started as a freshman. The Miami Gardens, Florida, native is almost a lock to do so, showing that his status as the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class was no mistake.

“He's a pro's pro,” said senior cornerback Denzel Burke, who does not dispense praise casually. “He's 18 years old, and he has everything you want in a prototypical receiver.”

At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he doesn’t look like a typical freshman.

“He’s strong, he’s powerful, he’s big,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said.

But what impresses Day and his teammates even more is Smith’s work ethic and maturity. He was one of 10 named an “Iron Buckeye” by the team’s strength and conditioning staff. Smith is believed to be the first freshman to be honored with that designation.

He thrives on the heated battles like he had with Igbinosun.

“That’s the reason I chose to come to Ohio State – to compete each and every day against the best DB group in the country,” Smith said.

Day said that attitude is what is impressive about him.

“I love his spirit,” he said. “He’s so competitive. There are very, very few MAs (missed assignments) for a young player. He takes his game very, very seriously.”

Smith said his father, Christopher, instilled that maturity in him.

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“Don't act my age. Act older than my age,” Smith said his father told him when he was young. “A lot of people have told me that I don't act like my age, that I'm way beyond my years.”

Smith committed to Ohio State in December 2022, a full 12 months before he could sign his letter of intent. But on signing day, speculation arose that he might flip to his hometown Miami Hurricanes. When Day got confirmation during his press conference that Smith had signed, he buckled his knees in half-serious, half-joking relief.

“I wasn't (considering) flipping at all,” Smith said. “I don't know why people made it seem like it was that. I was a Buckeye, and that's it.”

When he arrived in January, Smith immediately made a strong impression, and that has continued. The Iron Buckeye award is proof.

“He works extremely hard,” OSU wide receivers coach Brian Hartline said. “It’s not just lifting numbers or speed numbers. It’s the way you carry yourself, the way you train, the edge to you. It’s all that.”

Smith handles the hype surrounding him with aplomb.

“It’s a blessing, but you don’t want that hype to affect you,” he said. “I just keep my head down and find ways to get better each and every day.”

Smith said he avoids social media. He said he won’t overreact if he doesn’t have a huge game in the Buckeyes’ opener against Akron.

“I know there are big expectations for me because I’m the No. 1 player in the country coming in and all the hype around me,” Smith said. “I’ll try to block out all that stuff and focus on the main thing – the team and our receiver room and our locker room.”

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football: Jeremiah Smith is more than living up to the hype