Andy's Rant: Jeremiah Smith Showing The College Football World What Many In South Florida Already Know

The former Chaminade-Madonna star wide receiver churned out nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State's Rose Bowl win over Oregon on Wednesday

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates a touchdown during the first half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He's known as JJ down in South Florida.

Everyone around not only the college football world, but households just in general, are getting to know the name Jeremiah Smith pretty quickly.

Add Wednesday's 41-21 romp by Ohio State of Oregon in the Rose Bowl/College Football Playoff quarterfinal as another reason why Smith (6 catches, 187 yards, 2 touchdowns versus Oregon) is becoming one of the most well known players in the game.

Heck, when asked postgame by ESPN's Rece Davis on if anyone in the country can stop him, the former Chaminade-Madonna (Florida) star's simple reply was 'No'.

"Can anybody stop you?" - @ReceDavis

"No."

Offensive MVP Jeremiah Smith 🔥 pic.twitter.com/srKVecZmZm

— ESPN (@espn) January 2, 2025

If you talk to anyone down in Broward or Dade counties, they knew Smith's acension would eventually happen because of his dominance in one of the most competitive high school football regions in the country. Previously in 2022 and 2023, Smith made South Florida his proverbial playground.

To no one's surprise in the 954/305, Smith was pretty well known entering the high school football scene, with his meteoric rise starting with his junior campaign at Chaminade-Madonna.

As a sophomore, Smith posted more modest statistics when looking at his latter two years of high school, hauling in 26 passes for 556 yards and six touchdowns. This was especially a case of just wait and see, with Smith's junior year becoming the coming out party for the special talent.

Smith ended up having a monster junior year, ending with the Lions running the table to the Class 1A state championship and being invited to the Geico Bowl National Championship against Bishop Gorman (Nevada).

In 2022, Smith ended up catching 63 passes for 1,098 yards and 20 touchdowns, having many in awe of his blend of size, speed, strength, agility and ability to catch seemingly anything coming his way. One-handed catches became a staple of what Smith would do on a weekly basis and as impressive as Smith's junior year was, his encore as a senior was even better.

Jeremiah Smith's 2022 Game-by-Game Stats

Aug. 27th, St. John's (D.C.): 3 catches, 86 yards, 2 touchdowns

Sep. 2nd, Dillard: 3 catches, 88 yards

Sep. 10th, Miami Northwestern: 4 catches, 64 yards, 2 touchdowns

Sep. 16th, Plantation American Heritage: 3 catches, 100 yards, touchdown

Sep. 22nd, Gulliver Prep: 6 catches, 55 yards

Oct. 13th, Somerset Academy Key: 6 catches, 81 yards, 3 touchdowns

Oct. 21st, Avant Garde: 3 catches, 54 yards, touchdown

Oct. 27th, St. John Paul II Academy: 3 catches, 80 yards, touchdown

Nov. 3rd, Treasure Coast: 7 catches, 112 yards, 3 touchdowns

Nov. 18th, Avant Garde: 5 catches, 101 yards, touchdown

Nov. 25th, Cardinal Newman: 6 catches, 93 yards, 3 touchdowns

Dec. 2nd, True North Classical: 2 catches, 46 yards, touchdown

Dec. 8th, Clearwater Central Catholic: 7 catches, 113 yards, 2 touchdowns

Dec. 17th, Bishop Gorman (Nevada): 5 catches, 25 yards

Starting the 2023 season off against national power St. Frances Academy (Maryland), Smith had his lowest output of the entire season with a 2-catch, 19-yard performance. The rest of the way, forget about it.

Smith took it out on every other opponent after the Broward County Classic tilt with St. Frances, including a 321-yard, 3-touchdown masterpiece against New Jersey powerhouse Bergen Catholic.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound wide receiver concluded the 2023 campaign with numbers that handed him the prestigious Nat Moore Trophy, awarded to the best player in South Florida while also winning High School On SI's Florida Player of the Year honors as well. Smith finished with 90 catches for 1,389 yards and 20 touchdowns.

SBLive’s 2023 all-state Florida high school football award winners: Chaminade-Madonna's Jeremiah Smith is player of the year

Needless to say, if you didn't know about Smith and were in anyway affiliated with high school football in the Sunshine State, you must've literally been living under a rock.

Jeremiah Smith's 2023 Game-by-Game Stats

Aug. 26th, St. Frances Academy: 2 catches, 19 yards, touchdown

Sep. 1st, Cardinal Gibbons: 8 catches, 93 yards, touchdown

Sep. 8th, Bergen Catholic (New Jersey): 17 catches, 321 yards, 3 touchdowns

Sep. 15th, Plantation American Heritage: 6 catches, 83 yards, 2 touchdowns

Sep. 21st, Miami Central: 9 catches, 101 yards, 2 touchdowns

Sep. 29th, Cocnut Creek: 5 catches, 84 yards, touchdown

Oct. 6th, Dillard: 5 catches, 80 yards, touchdown

Oct. 20th, Avant Garde: 4 catches, 32 yards, touchdown

Oct. 26th, St. John Paul II Academy: 3 catches, 44 yards, touchdown

Nov. 3rd, Lakewood: 7 catches, 189 yards, 2 touchdowns

Nov. 17th, Avant Garde: 2 catches, 37 yards, 1 touchdown

Nov. 24th, Cardinal Newman: 8 catches, 107 yards, touchdown

Dec. 1st, Archbishop Carroll: 1 catch, 16 yards, touchdown

Dec. 7th, Clearwater Central Catholic: 13 catches, 183 yards, touchdown

While Smith continues to wow folks on the national scene with his performances week in and week out, it's those down in South Florida and anyone who got a glimpse of him playing high school football, especially in 2022-23, that can remain unsurprised by what he's doing on the field against elite college competition.

It's what Smith has been doing for the previous couple of years, just down on his playground in the hotbed of South Florida.

Jeremiah Smith, former Chaminade Madonna star WR, to start at Ohio State as a true freshman

Jeremiah Smith, former Chaminade Madonna star WR, scores 1st TD at Ohio State as a true freshman

Jeremiah Smith, former Chaminade Madonna star WR, makes ridiculous one-hand grab

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi