Among the highly anticipated freshmen starring in the 2024 season of college football is Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith—the 18-year-old receiver who announced his presence with multiple highlight-reel plays early in the year.
While his early-season highlights certainly put him higher on the national radar, Smith has stood out since high school. Entering this season, he already stood out as one of the most talented players of any position set to debut this year.
Smith has met expectations so far and clearly has a bright future ahead of him. But who is he? Here's everything to know about Smith, the Ohio State true freshman pass-catcher who is the Buckeyes' 2024 breakout star.
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Who is Jeremiah Smith?
Growing up in South Florida, Smith made a name for himself as a member of the Chaminade-Madonna Prep varsity football team. He was named the Maxwell Award High School Player of the Year and MaxPreps Florida Player of the Year his senior season, and he also won the Nat Moore Trophy—an honor given to the top high school player in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties.
In his final two seasons with the Lions, Smith caught 151 passes for 2,474 yards and 39 touchdowns while playing 28 games. In 2023, Chaminade-Madonna Prep was the nation’s No. 2-ranked team and finished the season undefeated as state champions.
Oh, and Smith also ran track, qualifying for the 110- and 400-meter hurdles at states three times and capturing gold medals in both races at Florida's 1A meet his junior year.
A rare talent, Smith became the first wide receiver to earn a No. 1 overall ranking in the 247Sports composite in over a decade. The last pass-catcher to do so was Dorial Green-Beckham in 2012, who eventually had a short career in the NFL. Naturally, Smith was a five-star prospect on every major recruiting service, too.
Drawing comparisons to Julio Jones, Smith accumulated 40 offers and ended up visiting five schools throughout his recruiting process. Eventually, he narrowed it down to two: Miami and Ohio State.
The 6-3, 215 pound wide receiver committed to be a Buckeye in 2022 but did not sign his letter of intent until the following December, giving him time to pay the Canes a visit. But he stuck with Ohio State, enrolling in February and becoming integral member of the team's offense in 2024.
"The way they care about their players on and off the field," Smith said. "They're one of the best for their players. It's a family up there in Ohio. Thanksgiving, you know, they'll have their players come over and eat with them, stuff like that. So, I mean, it's definitely a brotherhood up there in Columbus for sure."
MORE: ESPN ranks Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith top college football freshman
Jeremiah Smith stats
An established threat through the air, Smith has enjoyed an impressive start to his true freshman season. Here's a look at how Smith has performed so far through his first six games.
| REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
| 33 | 553 | 16.8 | 7 | 70 |
Despite a costly pass-interference call on the Buckeyes' final drive, Smith had another strong showing against Oregon:
| REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
| 5 | 83 | 16.6 | 1 | 27 |
