Jeremiah Smith (American football)
American football player (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jeremiah Smith (born November 29, 2005) is an American college football wide receiver for the Ohio State Buckeyes. As a freshman in 2024, Smith broke the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) freshman receiving record, and won a national championship with the Buckeyes. In 2025, he was a Unanimous All-American.
Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S.
Smith with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2025 | |||||||||
| No. 4 – Ohio State Buckeyes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Class | Junior | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | November 29, 2005 Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 223 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Florida) | ||||||||
| College | Ohio State (2024–present) | ||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career statistics as of Week 14, 2025 | |||||||||
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| Stats at ESPN | |||||||||
Early life
Smith was born on November 29, 2005 in Miami Gardens, Florida.[1][2] At seven years old, Smith tried out for the Miami Gardens Ravens youth football team but did not make the cut, an event hailed as a defining moment for Smith and his father, Chris, regarding his football career. The event caused Smith to begin taking training more seriously. The next year, Smith made the league winning its own version of the Heisman Trophy.[3][4] Smith later attended Miami Central Senior High School before later transferring to Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School in Hollywood, Florida.[5] He had 31 receptions for 667 yards and seven touchdowns in his sophomore season.[6][7] He caught 58 passes for 1,073 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior.[8] He also won the FHSAA Class 2A state championship in the 110 and the 400-meter hurdles during his junior year.[9] During his senior season, Smith was named an All-American and won the All-American Bowl Player of the Year Award.[10]
Smith was rated a five-star recruit and the top ranked prospect of the incoming 2024 college football class.[11][12][13] He was the highest ranked wide receiver recruit in the modern recruiting era (2000–present), surpassing Dorial Green-Beckham and Julio Jones.[14] Smith committed to play for Ohio State over offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, and USC.[15][16]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Smith WR |
Opa Locka, FL | Chaminade-Madonna | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Feb 7, 2024 | |
Recruit ratings: Rivals:  247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
College career
Freshman year
In his college debut against the Akron Zips, Smith recorded six receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns, leading the team in yardage to a 52–6 win.[17]
Smith was named Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week after recording six touches for 102 yards and two touchdowns in a win against Michigan State.[18]
On January 1, 2025, Smith had 7 catches for 187 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns in an MVP performance against the Oregon Ducks in the 2025 Rose Bowl. He was also named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Big Ten Receiver of the Year and selected as a first-team All-American by NCAA unofficial selectors, the USA Today and ESPN in 2024. Smith was the lead receiver during the Buckeyes' victory in the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship, during which he set the FBS single-season record for receiving yards and touchdowns by a true freshman.[19]
Sophomore year
In Week 2 of his sophomore season against Grambling State, Smith had 5 catches for 115 yards, along with 2 touchdowns.
Against Penn State in Week 10, Smith made what was described as a "circus catch" against the Nittany Lions. On an 11-yard pass from quarterback Julian Sayin, Smith caught a tipped ball with one hand for a touchdown, a play that highlighted the Buckeyes' dominance in the 38-14 win.[20]
Statistics
| Season | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2024 | Ohio State | 16 | 15 | 76 | 1,315 | 17.3 | 15 | 6 | 47 | 7.8 | 1 |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 13 | 13 | 87 | 1,243 | 14.3 | 12 | 3 | 21 | 7.0 | 1 |
| Career | 29 | 28 | 163 | 2,558 | 15.7 | 27 | 9 | 68 | 7.5 | 2 | |
Endorsements
Personal life
Jeremiah Smith is the cousin of Geno Smith, quarterback of the New York Jets in the National Football League (NFL).[23] Chip Kelly, who recruited Geno from Miramar High School in Miramar, Florida, coached Jeremiah at Ohio State University before joining Las Vegas as offensive coordinator and coaching Geno Smith. He was one of the cover athletes for EA Sports College Football 26 alongside Ryan Williams.[24]