2024 Florida Wide Receiver Jeremiah Smith Commits To Ohio State
Ohio State landed its second commitment of the day when Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith pledged his services to the Buckeyes on Wednesday evening, following the lead of 2023 South Dakota four-star quarterback Lincoln Kienholz earlier in the day.
The 6-foot-3 and 185-pound Smith, who is considered the top-rated wide receiver and No. 2 prospect overall in the class of 2024, picked up an offer from the Buckeyes and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline following a one-day camp visit in June 2021.
He’s been back to campus several times since then, including last season’s win over Penn State and the 21-10 victory over Notre Dame on Sept. 3. That’s given him an opportunity to spend time with Hartline and new tight ends coach Keenan Bailey, a fellow South Florida native.
Smith was on the same 7-on-7 team (South Florida Express) as 2023 five-star wide receiver pledges Brandon Inniss and Carnell Tate, and those relationships were a big reason why many believed he would eventually become the first member of Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class.
Of course, 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 all beat him to the punch over the last few months.
But those four still give the Buckeyes a tremendous foundation for the future from both a national and local perspective, as Raiola and Smith are the top two players in the country and Stover is among the highest-rated prospects in the state.
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Smith becomes the 15th top-100 wide receiver to commit to or sign with Ohio State since Hartline became the position coach, joining Garrett Wilson and Jameson Williams in 2019; Julian Fleming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Gee Scott and Mookie Cooper in 2020; Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jayden Ballard in 2021; Kaleb Brown and Kyion Grayes in 2022; and Inniss, Tate and Noah Rogers in 2023.
His pledge also continues a string of commitments at Chaminade-Madonna, which has won five of the last six state championships, joining freshman defensive end Kenyatta Jackson and freshman cornerback Ryan Turner from last cycle. Ohio State is also among the favorites to land his teammate, five-star wide receiver Joshisa “JoJo” Trader.
That said, it’s probably too early to project how Smith’s commitment impacts the numbers at wide receiver given how much talent is currently on the roster and any potential attrition after this season. But it wouldn’t be a surprise to see three or four be the target number once the dust settles.
In that case, Trader – who could end up playing defensive back at the next level instead – and others like Temple (Texas) Lake Belton five-star Micah Hudson and New Haven, Ind., four-star Mylan Graham among the names to keep in mind as the Buckeyes look to fill out the class.
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