HOLLYWOOD — Although there was plenty of drama surrounding five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the Chaminade-Madonna star stuck with his long-time commitment to Ohio State, announcing his decision during a ceremony at Chaminade on Wednesday.
Miami and coach Mario Cristobal worked to flip the star receiver, but he could not be swayed.
Smith, who is rated the No. 1 player in the 2024 class by 247Sports’ composite rankings, racked up racked up 1,389 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns on 90 catches this season.
Smith, who helped lead Chaminade-Madonna to its third straight state championship this year, had been committed to Ohio State for over a year, but the Hurricanes persistently stayed in touch with Smith.
“(Buckeyes coach Ryan Day was) telling me to keep the main thing the main thing,” Smith said on Tuesday. “Telling me why I committed to Ohio State. I know the reason why. Just I want to be developed into a first-round draft pick, win a national championship and all.”
Despite sticking with Ohio State, Smith had positive things to say about UM. He told reporters after picking the Buckeyes that he was considering Miami up until the final minutes of his recruitment and that he had a Hurricanes hat in the bag he brought.
“Coach Cristobal, he just a Miami guy,” Smith told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Tuesday. “Just telling me, ‘Stay home because you and Joshisa Trader, Jordan Lyle, all the guys committed, we can definitely do something special, bring Miami back to the way it used to be.’”
Smith already knew a lot of players in Miami’s signing class. Two of his teammates, wide receiver Joshisa Trader and safety Zaquan Patterson, also signed with UM on Wednesday. Additionally, Smith knows several other Hurricanes signees through youth football.
Smith also had been considering Florida State.
Jeremiah Smith is sticking with the Buckeyes.
— Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) December 20, 2023
