Jeremiah Smith (American football)

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, the highest-rated wide receiver in high school recruiting history, and the 9th highest rated recruit of all time. As a freshman in 2024, Smith broke the FBS freshman receiving record and helped Ohio State win the national championship.

Early life

Smith was born on November 29, 2005, in Miami Gardens, Florida, 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. Smith later attended Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School. He had 31 receptions for 667 yards and seven touchdowns in his sophomore season. Smith caught 58 passes for 1,073 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior. He also won the FHSAA Class 2A state championship in the 110 and the 400-meter hurdles during his junior year. During his senior season, Smith was named All-American, and won the All-American Bowl Player of the Year Award.

Smith was rated a five-star recruit and the top ranked prospect of the incoming 2024 college football class. Smith was the highest ranked wide receiver recruit in the modern recruiting era (2000–present), surpassing Dorial Green-Beckham and Julio Jones. Smith committed to play at Ohio State over offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, and USC.

College career

In 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.

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.

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.