It’s always felt like Jeremiah Smith was destined to end up in Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class at some point.
From consistent posts about Ohio State on social media to wearing a Buckeyes logo on his helmet throughout his junior season to the connections he has with the program considering how many of his Florida wide receiver peers have committed to the Buckeyes, seeing Smith play anywhere else almost would have been a shock.
Smith made the decision official on Wednesday, giving his verbal commitment to the Buckeyes and making five-star 2024 quarterback commit Dylan Raiola almost assuredly a very happy man.
Ohio State has been on an unprecedented run recruiting receivers and the Buckeyes are beginning to set a standard for wideouts both in the recruiting realm and on-field production. As for Smith, he certainly has all the tools to be the next Ohio State great at wide receiver.
On The Field
Some within the recruiting industry believe that not only is Smith the best wideout in the 2024 class, but also better than any 2023 wide receiver. That is still a long way away from being determined, but based on his on-field attributes, it’s easy to see with Smith has garnered so much praise nationally.
In his junior season, Smith caught 58 passes for 1,073 yards and a whopping 20 touchdowns, including a one-handed highlight-worthy grab in the Florida state championship. As a sophomore, he recorded 31 receptions for 667 yards and seven touchdowns. Watching his film from both this season and the year before, Smith excels at making the acrobatic, highlight-reel catch, but also boasts elite speed and continues to improve at running routes.
Smith has the potential to build off his already sturdy frame at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, which allows him to be an excellent jump ball receiver. Given that fact, Smith makes for an excellent red zone target who is also a prolific contested-catch receiver, especially on end zone fade routes.
The standout prospect could play either in the slot or outside for Ohio State, but primarily lines up outside for Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, Florida). Given his size, Smith is probably best suited to play outside in college.
In the Class
You probably already know what this section is going to lead with. Brian Hartline has pulled off another massive recruiting win, and at this point, it seems pretty hard to argue that he isn’t the undisputed best recruiter of wideouts in college football at the moment.
Since the 2019 recruiting class, Ohio State has landed 15 top-100 wide receiver prospects, more than double the next-closest school (Alabama). On top of that, the Buckeyes are seemingly developing a pipeline to Columbus from the South Florida Express seven-on-seven team, as 2023 commits Brandon Inniss and Carnell Tate both play on that team with Smith.
Ohio State has now landed three players from Chaminade-Madonna Prep between the 2022 and 2024 recruiting cycles, as Smith attends the alma mater of freshman cornerback Ryan Turner and defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. The Buckeyes would love to make it four players from Chaminade-Madonna Prep, as OSU remains in heavy pursuit of Smith’s teammate and fellow five-star 2024 wideout Joshisa Trader, who has accompanied Smith on the majority of his visits to OSU and also plays for South Florida Express.
The Buckeyes’ other top priority at wide receiver for the 2024 class seems to be four-star Indiana wideout Mylan Graham, who picked up an offer from the Buckeyes at a recruiting camp in June. Micah Hudson and Ryan Pellum are also top-50 overall prospects who are being recruited by the Buckeyes, while Jeremiah McClellan and Elijah Moore also possess OSU offers.
OSU has four players committed so far for the 2024 class, including the No. 1 (Raiola) and No. 2 (Smith) prospects nationally, per 247Sports' composite rankings. It’s pretty hard to start the 2024 class better than landing two five-star players, both ranked in the top two with Raiola being considered the top player in the country. Add to that offensive tackle Ian Moore being a top-60 prospect and four-star safety Garrett Stover in the top 170, and you have the beginnings of a class that has a chance to be the nation’s best when all is said and done.
