Jeremiah Smith’s Impact On Ohio State’s 2024 Recruiting Class

On Dec 17, 2022

Ohio State secured a commitment from the nation’s top wide receiver regardless of class when 2024 Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep four-star Jeremiah Smith pledged his services to the Buckeyes on Wednesday evening.

The 6-foot-3 and 185-pound Smith caught 58 passes for 1,073 yards and 30 touchdowns this season to lead the Lions to a 13-0 record, which was highlighted by wins over Fort Lauderdale American Heritage and Miami Northwestern on their way to their fifth state championship in six seasons.

Smith notably hauled in six passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns as Chaminade-Madonna opened up at 28-0 halftime lead in the title game. That includes a highlight-reel 17-yard touchdown reception that caught the attention Ohio State assistants Brian Hartline and Keenan Bailey.

Smith will now wrap up his junior season on Saturday afternoon when the Lions travel to Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, which just won its 12th state championship in the last 13 seasons, in the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on ESPNU.

That said, Smith is the sixth five-star wide receiver to commit to or sign with the Buckeyes since Hartline became the full-time position coach in 2019, but he has the potential to be even better than Garrett Wilson in 2019, Julian Fleming and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2020, Emeka Egbuka in 2021 and Brandon Inniss in 2023.

Of course, that’s high praise for someone who still has his senior season ahead of him, but Smith’s combination of size, speed, body control and route-running will allow him to compete for early playing time, while his knack for making difficult catches look easy could set him apart.

Smith, who is the cousin of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, continues a string of commitments from the South Florida Express 7-on-7 team, which featured Inniss, four-star wide receiver Carnell Tate and four-star safety Cedrick Hawkins in the class of 2023.

He’s also the latest prospect from Chaminade-Madonna to pick Ohio State, joining freshman defensive end Kenyatta Jackson and freshman cornerback Ryan Turner, while the Buckeyes are also among the favorites for his current teammate, five-star athlete Joshisa “JoJo” Trader. Will he soon follow?

Meanwhile, Smith now becomes the fourth member of Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class, joining Chandler, Ariz., five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola; New Palestine, Ind., four-star offensive lineman Ian Moore; and Sunbury (Ohio) Big Walnut four-star athlete Garrett Stover.

That means the Buckeyes hold commitments from the top two prospects in the cycle. It’s worth noting no team has ever signed the top two players in the same class, though Clemson came close with quarterback Trevor Lawrence (No. 1) and defensive end Xavier Thomas (No. 3) in 2018.

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Regardless, having them lead the way early on will certainly help as Ohio State pursues the likes of Buford, Ga., five-star safety K.J. Bolden, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco four-star safety Peyton Woodyard and Tampa (Fla.) Wharton four-star running back Stacy Gage, among others, nationally.

It’s probably too early to project how many wide receivers the staff will look to bring on next cycle, but Trader – who could also play defensive back at the next level – is one of their top remaining targets alongside New Haven, Ind., four-star Mylan Graham.

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Other names to keep in mind include Temple (Texas) Lake Belton five-star Micah Hudson; Long Beach (Calif.) Millikan four-star Ryan Pellum; St. Louis Christian Brothers College four-star Jeremiah McClellan; and Olney (Md.) Good Counsel three-star Elijah Moore.