Jeremiah Smith admits he 'most likely' ends up at Miami if program was on track around his recruitment

In a quiet bombshell, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith admitted Miami was probably his choice of school had the Hurricanes been more successful a few years ago. Smith is currently in his second season with the Buckeyes and they take on Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

With these types of high profile games common for Ohio State, it’s easy to see why the much heralded prospect chose the Buckeyes. Ryan Day, Brian Hartline, you name it. Oh yeah, and last year’s national title that Smith helped win.

But what if Miami came calling and kept pursuing Smith and being able to back up the talk with championship trophies? If you’re a Hurricanes fan, don’t read any further.

“Most likely yeah,” Smith said. “I’d have probably ended up on Miami if things were on the right track then and there. But I chose to stick with Ohio State.”

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?

He said yes. pic.twitter.com/iaOehXDA6P

— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) December 29, 2025

This isn’t the first time Smith has admitted there’s a little extra juice to playing Miami. CaneSport’s Luke Chaney pointed it out over the holidays.

“At Chaminade’s Signing Day ceremony, Smith held off on signing with the Buckeyes,” he wrote. “This sent shockwaves throughout the sport, as the expectation leading into the day was that Smith was all set on making his Ohio State pledge official. Miami was right there.

“As the day went on without Smith putting pen to paper, Miami tried everything it could to flip him. For a few hours, it seemed as if the Hurricanes had a legit chance at keeping Smith in South Florida. But Smith felt that Ohio State was the better option for him by the end of the day. He signed with the Buckeyes at night, ending Miami’s dream of acquiring the country’s best player.”

As a member of the Class of 2024, Smith was a five-star-plus recruit out of Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 1 prospect in the state, the No. 1 wide receiver in the class and the No. 1 overall prospect in the class.

Many consider Smith NFL-ready right now, but he has to play one more college season before going to the 2027 NFL Draft. In two seasons, he has 156 catches for 2,401 yards, 26 touchdowns and 15.4 yards per catch.