Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith discusses program tampering with him

Ohio State football is becoming known as being Wide Receiver University, but in the Name, Image and Likeness world, you always worry about the chance that the Buckeyes could have lost arguably the best prospect they've ever had at the position. Luckily, it did not happen. Jeremiah Smith met with the media on Saturday and dropped an interesting nugget that has made the rounds.

He talked about how, after his second season in Columbus, there were attempts to woo him away from Ohio State, in particular by one program. The team he was alluding to wasn't named, but almost anyone who knows about the situation understands it was probably the Miami Hurricanes, who were the primary competition for Smith's recruitment as his hometown team. Smith’s path to Ohio State was not a simple one.

The Hollywood, Florida, native was the nation’s top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2024 and one of the most pursued players in the country, with Miami, Florida , Florida State , Georgia , and others among the schools involved before he signed with the Buckeyes. He committed to Ohio State in 2022 and remained firm despite continued interest from programs closer to home. Jeremiah Smith was asked about the offers he may have received this offseason to leave Ohio State.

He said there was never a moment he considered leaving, although he wasn’t surprised to see a certain program make a big push. “I think everyone here knows who it was,” he said. pic.