Before he became the face of Ohio State, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith envisioned a different path.
Jeremiah Smith revealed Wednesday at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago that growing up, his dream school wasn’t Ohio State — it was Alabama.
Despite admiring the Crimson Tide under legendary coach Nick Saban, Smith said the program didn’t recruit him as heavily as the Buckeyes.
“Growing up, my dream school was Alabama. When Nick Saban was there,” Smith said. “They weren’t recruiting me though, so it is what it is. I always wanted to go to Bama.”
Smith, a Miami Gardens, Fla., native, said Alabama’s pipeline of South Florida stars made the Crimson Tide his dream school growing up. But after committing to Ohio State on Dec. 14, 2022, he said Alabama and other programs backed off from his recruitment.
“A lot of guys at that time from South Florida were going to ‘Bama and having success like Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley, guys like that,” Smith said. “I got the offer. I think I committed to Ohio State too early. That’s why they stopped. They thought it was no chance.”
Choosing Ohio State instead has proven to be the right decision for Smith. Since arriving in Columbus as the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class, he has developed into one of the nation’s top receivers, helping lead the Buckeyes to the 2025 national championship.
Smith claimed Big Ten Freshman of the Year and All-American honors as a freshman in 2024, before he earned unanimous All-American recognition in 2025. He also was named Big Ten Receiver of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten in each of his first two seasons.
Over 29 career games, Smith has totaled 163 receptions for 2,558 yards and 27 touchdowns, while taking nine carries for 68 yards and two scores.
Even after former Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, his primary recruiter, left for the head coaching job at South Florida, Smith never seriously considered leaving Ohio State. He said that remained true even after confirming he received a $10 million offer to enter the transfer portal this offseason.
“I always wanted to be at Ohio State,” Smith said. “It would be dumb for me to leave Ohio State and go to another team when I have the best offensive line in the country, the best quarterback in the country, the best coaches in the country. So that’d be a stupid move for me to go somewhere else.”
