Jeremiah Smith says he and Alabama's Ryan Williams are the 'best receivers in the country right now'

Nearing the halfway point of the 2024 college football season, wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams have dazzled the country, not only because of their talent and production but because they’re accomplishing what they are as freshmen.

Not even two full months into their college football careers, they may already be at the top of their sport. At the very least, that’s the way Smith sees it.

While discussing his early success, the Ohio State freshman phenom told CBS Sports’ Richard Johnson that it feels like he and Williams, Alabama’s leading pass-catcher, are “the best receivers in the country right now as freshmen."

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It’s hard to argue against his point.

The two entered the college ranks with no shortage of hype, with Smith at No. 1 and Williams at No. 8 nationally in 247Sports’ player rankings for the 2024 recruiting class. Smith was the first wide receiver to earn the No. 1 overall spot in 12 years.

Both players lead their teams in receiving yards, with Smith at 453 and Williams at 544. Those marks rank both wideouts among the top 35 players nationally in the category. Smith and Williams have six touchdown catches apiece, putting them in a tie for fifth among FBS players.

Smith and Williams’ excellence has transcended their numbers and has been shown in moments of individual brilliance.

In a 35-7 victory against Iowa on Saturday, Smith ran a fade route and hauled in a Will Howard pass with one hand for a touchdown, catching the ball with his right hand and holding off a Hawkeyes defensive back with his left. It was one of several one-handed snags Smith has made in his first five college games.

One week earlier, Williams was the star of perhaps the play of the 2024 season to this point, catching a deep ball from Jalen Milroe and evading and outrunning a pair of defenders for what ended up being a game-winning 75-yard touchdown in a 41-34 win against then-No. 1 Georgia.

Perhaps most impressively, Smith and Williams are pulling off these feats before either player has turned 19 years old.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jeremiah Smith says he and Alabama's Ryan Williams are the 'best receivers in the country right now'