Jeremiah Smith's 'revenge' comments prove that Miami loss still lives in his head

Jeremiah Smith has been hearing it all offseason from Miami Hurricane fans. Ohio State's Cotton Bowl loss and the fact that the All-American wide receiver from Broward County was on the wrong side of the field for it is something that the locals will not soon let Smith forget.

Smith admitted to Bud Elliott of the Cover 3 podcast that the loss to Miami has been stuck in his head and that the Hurricanes are the one team he wants revenge on more than any other.

"Gotta be the hometown team. Gotta be," Smith said. "I heard it a lot every time I went back home. Got to be Miami."

Well, if Smith andt the Buckeyes want revenge on Miami, it'll have to be in the playoffs, preferably at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the site of the CFP Championship Game. That feels like the appropriate place to make it happen. 

Jeremiah Smith showed up last year, but forgot to bring the Buckeyes with him

There's going to be no hate for Smith coming from this guy. He can ball. I think every Miami coach, player and fan will agree that Smith can get after it. While Carnell Tate was out there running away from tough catches, Smith tried to single-handedly keep Ohio State in the game and save Julian Sayin from getting smothered by Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor.

Smith already has a CFP championship ring. He won it in 2024 as Mario Cristobal's plan for Hurricanes football was just trying to take off. While many Miami fans were frustrated that Ohio State came down to Miami's backyard and stole Smith,  everyone understood why he did it. Ohio State had the proof of concept, especially with developing wide receivers under then-coach Brian Hartline.

That move was the right move for Smith and, truth be told, it was the best thing to happen to Cristobal and the Hurricanes. 

READ MORE: Uncle Luke calls out Miami assistant and sends a message to Jeremiah Smith

Jeremiah Smith motivated Miami to keep the local recruits home

Cristobal had to be reminded of Smith's greatness all throughout the 2024 season. As good as Cam Ward and Miami were that year, how much better would they have been if Smith stayed home? Surely they beat either Georgia Tech or Syracuse and make the playoffs, right? 

But, as the old saying goes, 'it's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters'. Cristobal decided to tighten up the local clamps in recruiting. Local recruits like Malachi Toney and Bryce Fitzgerald were superstars as freshman and Bain, another former local recruit, was an All-American and a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

That success has allowed Cristobal to sell his proof of concept to the top local recruits and it's working. Eight of the 20 commits in the Hurricanes' 2027 class are within 100 miles of campus. Miami is also favored to land another 5-star local recruit, Amir Sears. Cristobal isn't going to let another Smith defection happen under his watch.

Smith still wants his revenge for losing to Miami last season, but Cristobal is getting his for losing out on Smith two years ago. 

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