Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Texas’ Colin Simmons Named Walter Camp National FBS Players of the Week – Week 4 (Sept. 29)
The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the Football Bowl Subdivision National Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for games ending September 26.
About the Award: This is the 23rd year that the Walter Camp Football Foundation will honor one offensive and one defensive player as its national Football Bowl Subdivision player of the week during the regular season. It is the nation’s longest-running Player of Week award.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior, Wide Receiver, Miami Gardens, FL
The Big Ten Offensive Player of Week, Jeremiah Smith recorded 12 receptions for 217 yards and four touchdowns in Ohio State’s 42-19 victory against Illinois. His 217 yards tied for the sixth most in a single game in Ohio State history. Smith became the first player in program history to surpass 3,000 career receiving yards and now has 3,175.
Notes: It is the 16th time since 2004 that a Ohio State player has earned Walter Camp National FBS Player of Week honors. Smith is the first Buckeye offensive honoree since former quarterback C.J. Stroud was honored on Nov. 20, 2021.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior, Edge, Dallas, TX
Colin Simmons recorded a Texas single-game record with 5.5 quarterback sacks as the top-ranked Longhorns (4-0, 1-0 in SEC) defeated 14th-ranked Tennessee, 20-17. For the game, Simmons recorded nine total tackles (6 solo), forced one fumble and had 10 quarterback pressures. The 5.5 sacks also tied for the third-most in FBS history (since sacks became an official NCAA state in 2000).
Notes: It is the 16th time since 2004 that a Texas player has earned Walter Camp National FBS Player of Week honors. The last defensive honoree was former Longhorn linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. on October 27, 2025.
Considered the “Father of American Football,” Walter Camp introduced the play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side in 1880. Nine years later, Mr. Camp, then the Yale University head coach, selected the first-ever college football All-America team. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team. Visit www.waltercamp.org for more information.
The Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 25 awards have honored more than 1,000 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 13 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.
