Ohio State football secured its national championship win over Notre Dame when Will Howard threw a 56-yard strike to Jeremiah Smith on third-and-11 with 2:38 left in the fourth quarter.
In a recent video from the Buckeyes’ sideline, the play might’ve been Emeka Egbuka’s idea. Egbuka noticed Fighting Irish defensive back Christian Gray was playing Smith with inside leverage, and recommended throwing a go route to Smith to attack the coverage.
The rest is history, as Gray gave the exact coverage Ohio State was looking for, and Howard delivered a perfect pass to the star true freshman.
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Emeka Egbuka spoke Will Howard’s 56-yard pass to Jeremiah Smith on 3rd-and-11 (“3rd-and-Jeremiah”) into existence while watching film earlier in the game.
“We need to run a go-ball on 29. … Look at the inside leverage he has when (Carnell Tate’s) attacking him.” pic.twitter.com/EMEN82BRxR
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) January 28, 2025
The video was first included in a recap video posted by Ohio State football on X but was clipped and featured more prominently by multiple social media accounts.
Egbuka, a fourth-year senior who declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, finished his final season with 81 receptions for 1,011 yards with 10 touchdowns to raise his career total to 205 catches (Ohio State record) for 2,868 yards with 24 touchdowns across four seasons.
The former five-star recruit is considered one of the best slot receivers in the upcoming draft, and could hear his name called as early as the first round in April.
His apparent ability to anticipate play calls could certainly play in his favor with NFL scouts moving forward.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Look: Emeka Egbuka calls Jeremiah Smith’s catch vs Notre Dame in OSU win
