'NFL-ready' Jeremiah Smith solidifies place as college football's fastest-growing star

PASADENA, Calif. — As the final 10 minutes of a confoundingly lopsided College Football Playoff quarterfinal drained from the Rose Bowl Stadium clock, Chris Smith shuffled his way through Row 18 of Section 3 until he reached an aisle. The father of Ohio State's most famous player — freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith, the most talented wideout in the country — sported a scarlet sweatsuit provided to him by Battle Sports, the football apparel company with which his son had signed an endorsement deal. He pulled the hood over his head as the evening temperature dipped into the upper 50s and a set of headphones wrapped around his ears. Aside from the fact that he was seated in the Buckeyes' family section, which occupied the first few rows behind Ohio State's bench, there was nothing to indicate that Chris Smith bore any relation to the sport's fastest-growing star, the offensive MVP from what ended as a 41-21 annihilation of top-seeded Oregon. 

By the time Smith stepped away from the seat alongside his brother Geno Smith Jr., the father of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith III, the newest family prodigy had completed his work for the evening. He'd already scooted across the formation and transformed a short pass from quarterback Will Howard into a galloping 45-yard touchdown on Ohio State's first possession, stunning the nearby sections of Ducks faithful by waltzing into the end zone with nary a defender in sight. He'd already leapt to secure a breathtakingly nimble catch between two defenders along the sideline, landing softly between them to gain 29 yards. He'd already rocketed through Oregon's defense from his alignment in the slot for a 43-yard score wherein nobody from the opposing secondary decided to cover him. And