One of basketball's biggest names, LeBron James, watched wide receiver Jeremiah Smith rewrite Ohio State's record book and didn't shy away from naming the next Heisman trophy winner. James, now with the Philadelphia 76ers, posted his endorsement on X during the Ohio State Buckeyes' game at the Iowa Hawkeyes on Oct. 3, after Smith reached the end zone for a second time and broke Chris Olave's record for career touchdown receptions. James kept the message brief and in all caps.
"THROW IT TO 4! #HEISMAN," James posted on X. Smith piled up 10 receptions, 188 yards, and two touchdowns before the fourth quarter began. He arrived at Kinnick Stadium nine catches away from matching Emeka Egbuka's program receptions record.
Six first-half grabs put him within reach, and he passed Egbuka after the break with the 206th catch of his college career. The touchdown record fell in two steps. Shortly before halftime, quarterback Julian Sayin hit Smith for a 12-yard score on the field's right side, pulling him even with Olave's program mark.
Sayin then connected with him on a deep ball in the third for the touchdown that made the record Smith's alone and stretched the Buckeyes' advantage. Olave reacted with a congratulatory post of his own after losing the record. Smith has now totaled 23 receptions, 423 yards, and six touchdowns across his past two games.
He struck the Heisman pose at one point during the game. He didn't hide his ambitions afterward, either. "I have to get to New York this year.” James had spent part of Oct. 3 at a 76ers scrimmage before tuning in to the Buckeyes.
The remaining gaps on Smith's resume are the Biletnikoff Award and the Heisman Trophy, and the latter is handed out at a ceremony in New York, the trip Smith says he has to make.
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