‘Best WR in the Country,’ ‘He Better Than Smith’ — Oregon State Fans Size Up Jesse Legree vs. Jeremiah Smith After Record 100-Yard Streak

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Jesse Legree has played six college football games — and topped 100 receiving yards in every one of them, a streak no Oregon State player had ever put together until Saturday.

The freshman had 10 catches for 191 yards and three touchdowns through just three quarters of action against San Diego State, with Oregon State leading 59-14 entering the fourth before pulling the majority of their starters.

That broke the program record of five straight 100-yard games he had shared with Mike Hass (2005) and Brandin Cooks (2013).

Jesse Legree Draws Comparisons to Jeremiah Smith Early in Career

“Jesse Legree is the best WR in the country (not named Jeremiah Smith; but man he’s close),” was the sentiment sent on X. Oregon State fans certainly agreed, while Ohio State fans did not.

PFN’s own grades go a step further. Through Week 5, Legree’s PFN Impact grade of 99.9 ranks first of 718 graded and qualified FBS wide receivers, and Smith’s 96.6 ranks second of 718.

Smith scored twice Saturday, catching four passes for 93 yards in No. 5 Ohio State’s 45-16 win over Maryland. Legree’s day included touchdowns of 11, 71 and 31 yards, and he struck the Heisman pose after the 71-yarder.

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“He better than Smith, faster, sure handed,” one Oregon State fan replied, conceding only that Legree is smaller.

Legree has made the same case for his hands. He told KVAL last month that people talk about 50/50 balls when he goes up for a catch, but “I know it’s 100/0 going to come down with me.”

Size has followed him since high school. CBS Sports reported that Oregon State coach JaMarcus Shephard and general manager Eron Hodges, then at Alabama, passed on the undersized three-star recruit from Baltimore’s St. Frances Academy before bringing him to Corvallis with an offer on Signing Day.

“An undersized receiver with my skill set and my mentality is just great,” Legree told CBS Sports.

Another fan argued Legree is already ahead of where Smith was, putting his start behind only Michael Crabtree’s. “By the time Legree is a junior he’ll be better than Jeremiah Smith ever was in college, he’s already having a better start to a career.”

According to Opta Stats, Legree is just the third player with nine or more receiving touchdowns over his first five FBS games, joining Crabtree in 2007 and Randy Moss in 1997.

Legree Comparisons Face Pushback Over Schedule Strength

“Defenses are not selling all out to defend him like JJ,” one critic wrote, pushing back on the comparison with Smith.

Shephard has rejected the idea that a defense gets to decide where the ball goes. After last week’s 56-26 win at Colorado State, he said Oregon State lined Legree up in the backfield once and keeps looking for creative ways to move him around.

Shephard added, “If the coaches have the right mindset about it they will find ways to get him the ball.”

“Love the energy, but let’s not pretend San Diego State is the 85 Bears lol,” another critic wrote, pointing to Saturday’s opponent.

San Diego State came in 2-3, with losses to UCLA, James Madison and Toledo. Legree’s biggest game, though, came against then-No. 13 Texas Tech, when he caught eight passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-24 loss. And even still, San Diego State had multiple players in the defensive secondary enter the game with massive grades in our CFB Impact metrics.

CHECK YOUR TEAM’S ODDS:PFN’s CFB FPM

The rest of the streak came in his debut at then-No. 23 Houston (136 yards), against Montana (exactly 100), at UTEP (109) and at Colorado State (156).

Looking Ahead in Week 7 to Washington State

Shephard said after the Colorado State win that the staff has to keep Legree healthy and make sure he keeps learning the playbook. Legree’s next shot at extending the streak comes when Oregon State hosts Washington State in Week 7 on October 17 at Reser Stadium.

He entered Saturday leading the Pac-12 with 741 receiving yards, averaging 148.8 per game, ahead of the 139.3 Hass averaged in 2005 and the 133.1 Cooks averaged in 2013.

Legree was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list Wednesday, and both Hass and Cooks won that award in their five-game streak seasons.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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