A lot of doubt’: Behind the final hours of No. 1 overall recruit Jeremiah Smith’s recruiting process
SAN ANTONIO – A few weeks removed from the longest nine or so hours of his life, No. 1 overall recruit Jeremiah Smith exhales deeply when thinking about his Signing Day, and how things might have gone differently in the hours between signing a “blank” sheet of paper and sending Ohio State his LOI.
SAN ANTONIO – A few weeks removed from the longest nine or so hours of his life, No. 1 overall recruit Jeremiah Smith exhales deeply when thinking about his Signing Day experience.
“Stressful, just stressful,” Smith told 247Sports. “There was a lot of doubt.”
Smith sat in his high school locker room minutes before his scheduled announcement and went through an internal debate of whether to stick with his commitment to Ohio State or flip to Miami. He wanted to stay home in the Sunshine State. He also wanted to play for Ohio State’s wide receiver factory. He didn’t want to play in the cold of Columbus. He also knows he might have to play in the cold as a pro.
Smith didn’t lock into a decision until two minutes before his decision. He ended up putting on a Buckeyes hat and the hundreds of people in the gym at Chaminade-Madonna Prep High School in Florida went crazy.A multi-year process was finally over. The top-ranked receiver in the 2024 class (and 247Sports history) had officially signed with the Buckeyes. Except … he hadn’t.
Smith did sign a piece of paper during his ceremony. It was just blank. The actual National Letter of Intent that would bind him to Ohio State wasn’t yet in the picture. The Buckeyes wanted Smith to sign right away, but Smith’s dad told him to hold off. “Don’t sign anything until your agent looks at the contract,” Smith remembers his dad saying.
