Ohio State star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was asked if Miami had won or played in games like this (The College Football Playoff), would he have signed with the Hurricanes out of high school? Smith responded most likely would have gone to Miami if things had been on the right track then and there.
Smith added he chose to stick to Ohio State. There were reports that Miami pushed hard for Smith in the Class of 2024 before the former five-star prospect ultimately chose to stay with Ohio State. At WR U, Smith might be the best in program history.
Smith is sixth in Ohio State history with 156 receptions, ninth with 2,401 receiving yards and sixth with 26 touchdowns. Entering the Cotton Bowl, Smith is 20 receiving yards behind Cris Carter and tied in TDs.
Smith was the top player in the 2024 class. In three seasons at Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna, Smith had 179 receptions for 3,043 yards and 45 touchdowns per MaxPreps. Smith and Miami sophomore JoJo Trader were key players as Chaminade-Madonna won state titles from 2021 through 2024.
If Miami had won more or played in games like this during Jeremiah Smith’s high school career, would he be a Hurricane right now?
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) December 29, 2025
He said yes. pic.twitter.com/iaOehXDA6P
Smith had a breakout freshman year
Smith is eighth nationally with 80 receptions, sixth, averaging 90.5 receiving yards per game and scoring 11 TDs. As a true freshman in 2024, Smith was 25th nationally with 76 receptions, fourth with 1,315 receiving yards and tied for second with Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter scoring 15 TDs.
The words from Smith bode well for Miami head coach Mario Crisobal, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and WRs coach Kevin Beard in the future. Beard was the primary Miami recruiter for Smith and Dawson was the secondary.
Earning the College Football Playoff berth should help Miami significantly sign top WRs from South Florida in the future. Miami lost out to Syracuse on Calvin Russell, the second-ranked 2026 WR from Miami Northwestern.
Miami signed the highest-ranked pair of WRs in the 2026 class. Somourian Wingo from St. Augustine is the seventh-ranked WR in the 2026 class and Milan Parris, from Stow, Ohio, Walsh Jesuit, is ninth in the 247Sports rankings. Miami flipped the script by signing Parris, the third-ranked 2026 prospect in Ohio per 247Sports.