COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Two years ago during spring practice, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard overthrew a freshman wide receiver in the end zone.
Coach Ryan Day came unglued.
"Are you not going to give the best receiver to potentially ever play the game a chance?" Day demanded, according to Howard.
"And I was like, 'Are you talking about this freshman, who hasn't even stepped on the field yet? You're calling him the best receiver ever?'" Howard recalled thinking. "That's a crazy thing to say."
Two years later, it doesn't seem so crazy.
Jeremiah Smith isn't just rewriting the Ohio State record books. He isn't just the clear favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
He's building a case to be the greatest wide receiver in college football history.
"Jeremiah's a freak," said Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, whose teams have faced Smith three times. "He can strike the fear of God in you on any snap."
In 2004, Sarkisian was in the Oakland Raiders' draft room when owner Al Davis asked about a wide receiver they were considering with the No. 2 pick.
"Is he Randy Moss?" Davis asked, according to Sarkisian.
"No," Oakland's offensive coordinator replied. "Randy Moss is a freak."
"Well, that's what I want," Davis said. "I want a freak."
The Raiders selected offensive tackle Robert Gallery with the second pick, and Pitt wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald went one pick later to the Arizona Cardinals.
Fitzgerald was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this year, two years after entering the College Football Hall of Fame.
More than two decades later, Sarkisian sees another college receiver with Moss-like ability.
"If there's anybody that could probably compare to somebody who could take over a game similar to Randy Moss, I would say it'd be Jeremiah Smith," Sarkisian said. "I mean, he's that good. He's got length, he's got strength, he's got speed, he's got ability to adjust to the ball, he's got catch-and-run ability, he's a smart player. He garners your attention on every snap."
Fitzgerald also sees similarities.
"The way he attacks the football and uses his body to shield defenders away, it kind of feels familiar," Fitzgerald told ESPN. "At Pitt, I took a lot of pride in giving my quarterback somebody they could trust, even when I wasn't necessarily open. I definitely see that quality in Jeremiah, even though he's open a heck of a lot more than I [was] with his physical abilities. He's doing things athletically that I never had the ability to do. The athleticism reminds me a lot of Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson."
Fitzgerald finished second in the 2003 Heisman Trophy voting. But Smith is running away with this Heisman race.