"He does it on his own": Ryan Day reveals strong side of Jeremiah Smith that makes him unstoppable in college football

Ryan Day will have some of the top talents in the country playing for him as Ohio State takes the field looking to repeat their national championship run in 2025. The veteran coach was recently in Las Vegas to attend the Big Ten Media Days, where he spoke about several topics, including his strategy for the upcoming season.

One of the most important aspects is the roster that he enjoys, which has young and highly talented athletes.

It is difficult to retain them, especially in the changing dynamics of college football where NIL and the transfer portal have taken over. Day, however, has no apprehensions since he claims players like Jeremiah Smith do not require any additional motivation.

The veteran coach was speaking to Colin Cowherd on "The Herd," where he mentioned how Smith was a self-motivated personality and held his work ethic to the highest standards. Day mentioned it's the highly competitive culture and players that make such top guys stick with the program.

“He does it on his own. He's self motivated. He brings it every day,” Day said to Cowherd on Tuesday (Timestamp - 7:16).

“Our strength coach Mickey Marotti was talking about the other day, when we do warm up sprints before every workout. He wins every one of them. He says he wins every single sprint.

“He is just for somebody as talented as he is, he has a tremendous amount of discipline and skill in his life, and I think that's what's making you know, he's already special, but it's continuing to make him special, and you should see him now.

"He's bigger, he's faster, he's stronger, he's extremely motivated. He wants to win every game. When he loses a game, I mean, he can't eat solid food for a long time. I mean, he really cares about his teammates. He sets an amazing example, and he doesn't need to be motivated,” he added.

Ryan Day and Jeremiah Smith will be looking to carry the momentum in 2025

The upcoming campaign will be a tough one for that program since they will be dealing with a huge pile of expectations and a super tough Big Ten schedule.

Smith, who proved vital in Ohio State's offense, being the primary target for Will Howard, will need to retain the momentum where he broke the FBS freshman record for most single-season receiving yards and most touchdown receptions.

While speaking to the reporters at media days, Day mentioned that he believes in players like Smith, who have been working hard in the offseason. Expect nothing less than 12 wins or more for Ohio State in 2025.