Jeremiah Smith (born November 29, 2005) is an American football wide receiver for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was the top ranked recruit in the 2024 recruiting class, and the highest-rated wide receiver in modern recruiting history.
Ohio State Buckeyes – No. 4 | |
---|---|
Position | Wide receiver |
Class | Freshman |
Personal information | |
Born: | Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S. | November 29, 2005
Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
Career history | |
College | Ohio State (2024–present) |
Bowl games | |
High school | Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Florida) |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life
editSmith was born on November 29, 2005, in Miami Gardens, Florida,[1] He grew up in Hollywood, Florida. At 7 years old, Smith tried out for the Miami Gardens Ravens youth football team, but did not make it, an event hailed as a defining moment for Smith and his father, Chris, regarding his football career. The event caused Smith to begin taking training more seriously. The following year, Smith made the league and won its own version of the Heisman Trophy.[2][3] Smith later attended Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School.[4] He had 31 receptions for 667 yards and seven touchdowns in his sophomore season.[5][6] Smith caught 58 passes for 1,073 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior.[7] He also won the FHSAA Class 2A state championship in the 110 and the 400-meter hurdles during his junior year.[8] During his senior season, Smith was named All-American, and won the All-American Bowl Player of the Year Award.[9]
Smith was rated a five-star recruit and the top ranked prospect of the incoming 2024 college football class.[10][11][12] Smith was the highest ranked wide receiver recruit in the modern recruiting era (2000–present), surpassing Dorial Green-Beckham and Julio Jones.[13] Smith committed to play at Ohio State over offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, and USC.[14][15]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jeremiah Smith WR |
Opa Locka, FL | Chaminade-Madonna | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Feb 7, 2024 | |
Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |
College career
editIn his college debut against the Akron Zips, Smith recorded six receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns, leading the team in yardage for that game in a 52–6 win for Ohio State.[16]
Smith was named Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week after recording six touches for 102 yards and two touchdowns in a win against Michigan State.[17]
On January 1, 2025, Smith had 7 catches for 187 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns in an MVP performance against the Oregon Ducks in the 2025 Rose Bowl. He was also named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Big Ten Receiver of the Year and selected as a first-team All-American by NCAA unofficial selectors, the USA Today and ESPN in 2024. Smith was the lead receiver during the Buckeyes' victory in the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship, during which he set the FBS single-season record for receiving yards and touchdowns by a true freshman.[18]
Statistics
editOhio State Buckeyes | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Games | Receiving | Rushing | ||||||||
GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
2024 | 14 | 13 | 70 | 1,224 | 17.5 | 15 | 5 | 52 | 10.4 | 1 | |
Career | 14 | 13 | 70 | 1,224 | 17.5 | 15 | 5 | 52 | 10.4 | 1 |
Personal life
editSmith is the cousin of Geno Smith, starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League (NFL).[19]
References
edit- ^ "Jeremiah Smith: Football". Red Bull. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "'He's generational': Inside Jeremiah Smith's path to stardom at Ohio State". Yahoo Sports. January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ Puro, Khosalu (January 6, 2025). "If Not for Early Setback, OSU's Jeremiah Smith Wouldn't Have Become College Football's Latest Phenom". EssentiallySports. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ Gay, Colin (December 16, 2022). "Who is 2024 Ohio State five-star WR commit Jeremiah Smith? 'He's a special individual'". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ "Florida recruiting: Individual matchups to watch during Week 1". The Palm Beach Post. August 24, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Malick, Blake (May 21, 2022). "A Look at '24: Four 5-Stars from South Florida". StateOfTheU.com. SB Nation. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ "Jaxon Smith-Njigba praises Ohio State 2024 commit Jeremiah Smith". The Columbus Dispatch. June 26, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ "Broward 2A-1A boys track athlete of the year: Jeremiah Smith, Chaminade-Madonna junior". Sun Sentinel. June 17, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ "Jeremiah Smith Named 2024 All-American Bowl's Player of the Year". NBC Sports. January 12, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "With two 5-star recruits, 'of course' Chaminade-Madonna has best receivers in the nation". Miami Herald. August 16, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ "Hurricanes in mix for local five-star recruit Jeremiah Smith". Sun Sentinel. May 4, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ "Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State Buckeyes, Wide Receiver". 247Sports. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "All Time Wide Receiver Players". 247Sports. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
- ^ VanHaaren, Tom (December 14, 2022). "WR Jeremiah Smith, No. 11 2024 recruit, commits to Ohio State". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ Means, Stephen (December 14, 2022). "Jeremiah Smith, 5-star 2024 WR, commits to Ohio State football: Buckeyes Recruiting". Cleveland.com. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Trotter, Jake (August 31, 2024). "Jeremiah Smith leads No. 2 Ohio State to season-opening win". ESPN. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ "Ohio State Wide Receiver Jeremiah Smith Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week". Eleven Warriors. September 30, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ^ ""Jeremiah Smith officially sets the FBS True Freshman Record..."". X. January 20, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
- ^ Means, Stephen (July 10, 2023). "Brian Hartline, a hoodie and a cigar? Meet the 7-on-7 football team that's fueling Ohio State's WR recruiting". Cleveland.com. Retrieved September 13, 2023.