Recreation Changers: Why Jeremiah Smith Nearly Flipped From Ohio State to Miami

[ad_1] Practically two years in the past — on Dec. 19, 2023, the eve of faculty soccer’s early signing interval — vast receiver Jeremiah Smith and his father, Chris Smith, launched into a ultimate dialog to solidify the five-star recruit’s longstanding dedication to Ohio State, a program recognized for remodeling elite prospects at that place into richly compensated NFL stars. They went to sleep that night time having agreed that Jeremiah, the No. 1 total participant within the nation, would signal with the Buckeyes throughout a ceremony the next afternoon.

One thing started to vary as Jeremiah navigated his subsequent day at Chaminade-Madonna School Preparatory Faculty in Hollywood, Florida — a spot the place he received three consecutive state championships after transferring from Monsignor Edward Tempo Excessive Faculty in Miami Gardens. To the shock of these near him, Jeremiah felt a sudden urge to flip to Miami (Fla.), certainly one of a number of in-state colleges prepared to bend over backward to maintain such a generational expertise near dwelling. The Hurricanes had a embellished historical past of profitable nationwide championships (5) and producing future Professional Soccer Corridor of Famers (11), a lot of which was solid within the Eighties and ’90s.

However they wanted somebody prodigious like Jeremiah to lastly join their superb previous with a modest current.

Wednesday's School Soccer Playoff quarterfinal between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 10 Miami within the Cotton Bowl pits Jeremiah Smith towards the college that just about snatched him up two years in the past and a roster bursting with a few of his former teammates from a high-profile upbringing in South Florida, the place followers packed highschool stadiums simply to observe his youth groups carry out.

[College Football Playoff Predictions: Why Quarterfinal Upsets Are Still Unlikely]

"He was this shut," Chris Smith instructed me. "He was like, ‘Dad, I need to go and gamble on myself.’ I instructed him, ‘You recognize you may lose at playing, too, proper? Why gamble your life when you realize it’s a certain factor over right here [at Ohio State]?’

"Not knocking [Miami]. Not saying they will’t develop him, however if you wish to go to U-M, you’re actually not going to get developed [as much] as a result of all you’re going to do is depend on your ability set, which you have already got. And I need him to assume in a enterprise sense."

(Picture by Ross Harried/NurPhoto through Getty Photographs)

For Chris Smith, considering in a enterprise sense meant encouraging Jeremiah to observe by means of on his verbal pledge to Ohio State, whose vast receivers coach on the time, Brian Hartline, — who was just lately employed as the top coach at USF — stays the single-best identifier and molder of high-end receiving expertise within the nation. 5 of Hartline’s former protégés have been chosen within the first spherical of the previous 4 NFL Drafts alone, with present Buckeyes standout Carnell Tate prone to be part of that listing come April. And Jeremiah, who enters the School Soccer Playoff having topped 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns for the second consecutive season, is a shoo-in for the primary spherical when he turns into draft-eligible in 2027. He made the precise selection by remaining steadfast and signing with the Buckeyes.

[College Football Playoff Predictions: Big Ten Will Prevail in CFP Quarterfinals]

Someplace alongside the space-time continuum, although, is an alternate universe through which Jeremiah Smith spurns Ohio State in favor of his hometown college — not in contrast to the beautiful determination by five-star quarterback and Nashville native Jared Curtis to reverse his dedication from Georgia to Vanderbilt earlier this month, drastically altering the trajectory of an missed program determined to achieve the fashionable period. The rock-star profile Smith now experiences at Ohio State may need reached stratospheric ranges had he enrolled at Miami, given every thing the luxury metropolis has to supply, although he is already received a nationwide championship with the Buckeyes.

"He in all probability may have went to Miami and acquired extra money," Dameon Jones, who coached Smith at Chaminade-Madonna, instructed me. "However I’ll always remember, the dad instructed me, he mentioned, ‘We’re not in search of the brief time period. We’re in search of the long run. Long run is NFL, however he’s gotta be developed.’"

(Picture by Michael Reaves/Getty Photographs)

It was a perception that everybody within the Smith household got here to share given their understanding of simply how prolific Ohio State has been at shepherding promising receiver skills to the following stage, with Hartline and head coach Ryan Day changing boundless potential into generational incomes energy seemingly at will. Nonetheless, the emotional element of an area legend eradicating himself from a group that incubated his success was difficult for these round him to simply accept. Loads of folks from Smith's interior circle wished him to remain dwelling.

His mom, Lativia Newberry, wanted some convincing earlier than signing off on the concept of her eldest son enrolling at a faculty greater than 1,100 miles away, particularly contemplating how fond she’d turn into of then-Florida head coach Billy Napier in the course of the recruiting course of.

Rod Mack, Smith’s youth coach who performed linebacker at Miami from 1995-99, noticed in his star pupil most of the similar traits he’d noticed in former Hurricane teammates Ray Lewis, Edgerrin James, Ed Reed, Reggie Wayne and Andre Johnson — all of whom have since been inducted into the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame. He couldn’t assist however daydream about Smith probably sporting the identical uniform. There have been quite a few events when Smith and his childhood buddies — like present Miami gamers Joshisa Dealer and Ryan Mack, Rod Mack's son — plotted methods for alumni of the nationally acknowledged Miami Gardens Ravens youth program to finish up on the similar faculty.

"It was going to occur," Ryan Mack instructed me. "It was alleged to occur, but it surely simply by no means labored out. All people went their separate methods. You'll be able to’t blame them. They did what was greatest for them, however I want it had ended up that approach. Possibly it nonetheless may in the future. You by no means know."

"The attract of them enjoying collectively was large," Mack added, "[of] him staying in Miami and enjoying together with his buddies. As a result of it was a uncommon alternative that you just’ve acquired children who've been enjoying since they have been 9 or 10 years outdated and there’s six, seven, eight of them that may all go play faculty soccer. … You guys could be enjoying these similar positions collectively that you just’ve been coaching because you was [little]. You are able to do this at dwelling. It might have been one thing particular, however the determination to go [to Ohio State], I perceive it completely."

The reverence proven by Rod Mack and his son to chorus from pressuring Smith's dedication in 2023 was a mindset shared by the South Florida group at giant, a area recognized for being some of the fertile expertise beds within the nation and a spot longing for its newest celebrity to attain his lofty desires. When Smith enters AT&T Stadium on Wednesday night time to face Miami — the Buckeyes are favored by 9.5 factors — there will probably be greater than 50 native Floridians on the Hurricanes’ roster, most of whom he’s performed with or towards in some unspecified time in the future within the final decade. None of them sought to overtly affect his collegiate determination, Jeremiah instructed me, and so they understood why Ohio State represented the very best match for such a novel expertise. His wasn't the sort of profession to be messed with.

[2025 CFP Odds: Lines, Spreads for Each Quarterfinal Game]

Now, Smith claims an endorsement portfolio that features profitable offers with firms like Adidas, Purple Bull, Nintendo and Lululemon, amongst others. The totality of them will nonetheless render him essentially the most well-known participant on the sector this week — simply as he was in highschool and for his youth group earlier than that. If Smith performs the best way he did throughout final yr's CFP, when he caught 13 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns en path to the nationwide title, Hurricanes' followers close to and much could be forgiven for questioning what may need been.

"I'd like to see him in Miami," Mario Perez, who coached Smith at Monsignor Tempo, instructed me. "Children need to do what’s greatest for them, proper?"

Michael Cohen covers faculty soccer and faculty basketball for FOX Sports activities. Comply with him at @Michael_Cohen13.

Need nice tales delivered proper to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports activities account, observe leagues, groups and gamers to obtain a personalised e-newsletter each day!