How Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith made his decision to put an end to the Signing Day drama

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Jeremiah Smith officially signed with Ohio State late Wednesday night, following through on a commitment he made to Brian Hartline more than a year ago.

Smith signed with the Buckeyes because he believes Hartline is the best receivers coach in college football and because Hartline’s record of producing first-round NFL draft picks is stronger than anyone else’s. It was a tough football decision.

Florida State, Miami and Florida State all tried to convince Smith they could offer him more with big deals related to name, image, likeness, and the fact that his family wouldn’t have to get on a plane every week to watch him play.

In the end, Smith wanted to play for Hartline more than he wanted to stay home. It’s that easy.

“(Hartline) doesn’t accept just anyone,” said Smith, the first receiver ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the 247Sports Composite since Dorial Green-Beckham in 2012.

“You have to be a certain type of guy to be in the receivers room at Ohio State. He’s got to be all about football and school. That’s all he cares about.”

Of course, nothing goes down in college football anymore.

So, even though Smith signed his National Letter of Intent in front of his parents, family and friends during a ceremony inside his school’s gymnasium at Hollywood Chaminade Prep, there was a processing delay. Football fans waited and waited and waited to see when Ohio State would announce that Smith had sent in the paperwork to make it official.

At 10:02 PM ET, Ohio State made its first public comment via a post on X, formerly Twitter: Smith was officially headed to Columbus.

Why the delay? Because Smith’s NIL representative was making sure that what the Ohio State collegiate group promised Smith during the hiring process would also be in writing.

Sounds like smart business, right? That’s because it is.

NCAA rules state that the NIL is not supposed to be used as an incentive for recruits to sign on the dotted line. But it is impossible not to cover it during the hiring process. Who takes a job without discussing compensation?

The moment college athletes were legally allowed to make money off their name, image and likeness, it became a top priority in the decision-making process. Playing time, player development, coaching, relationships and facilities are all still important in determining whether or not a player decides to go play at a particular school. You can’t have a conversation about hiring anymore without mentioning the lack of something.

How much does a player ultimately commit to what they can achieve in terms of dollar numbers? We asked SMU coach Rhett Lashlee that question this week on “Until Saturday.”

“If you don’t have any zero opportunities associated with coming to your program, you’re not going to get any players,” Lashley said emphatically.

“I think we’re at a place and a point in college football where the transportation piece for student-athletes — we still call them that — is good. Nothing is good. Whether it’s nothing, or whether there’s some revenue sharing because they’re the product on the field, All of those things are good things. But when you have anything in life without any kind of structure or system or guidelines, it can be no good. We’re at a point where there are no rules, no structure, no guidelines for either. They’re all happening at the same time, which makes it really hard to be consistent and know what’s best for everyone.

“When it comes to placements, relationships are still important, getting to know people is still important. But what you realize now is that generally you get to a child’s last three or four schools, and if you don’t have any good NIL opportunities near your institution, you won’t “It closes. You’re not going to win. It doesn’t matter. Because money is money.”

Smith might have been able to make more money staying at home. We will never know for sure. But he said repeatedly in the last 24 hours before announcing his decision that what was most important to him was playing for Hartline and Ohio State.

Eight former Buckeye receivers are on NFL rosters. Jarrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jackson Smith-Njigba were drafted in the first round over the past two seasons. Marvin Harrison Jr. is a projected top-five pick in April’s draft. That spoke to Smith more than anything else.

“I just want to go out there, build my own legacy out there in Ohio, be a first-round pick and develop not only as a player but as a man,” he said at his signing ceremony. “It’s been crazy. I just took it day by day. I kept God first, and prayed that He would lead me in the right direction. Ohio State has been for me this whole time. So this is where I’m going.”

There was a sense of relief on Smith’s face after he placed the red Ohio State cap on his head. The arduous process of sending out recruiting offers and hounding reporters is finally over. He could finally breathe. His father too.

“It was tough, but ultimately the decision was his,” said Chris Smith, who runs a cleaning company in South Florida to pay the bills. “Whatever decision he made, I was happy with it. I just told him that whatever school he chooses, make sure they have a good development program and a place where he can flourish and become a man.”

Smith’s father said he talks to college coaches every day. Miami was the last school to contact him before the ceremony began. Everyone wanted to know what his son would ultimately decide. Even he didn’t know for sure.

Smith brought his Miami hat with him to his signing day event and put it in a black bag along with his Ohio State hat. Smith said the decision came down to “the last few minutes” before he stepped forward and grabbed the microphone.

“Take control of the process. Don’t let anyone pressure you into doing what you don’t feel comfortable doing,” Smith said. The athlete Tuesday night when asked what advice he would give to the No. 1 player in the country during the next recruiting cycle.

“I didn’t let anyone trample me. I controlled my own process. You have reporters who want to talk to you every day. On the football field, everyone is asking you. There are people trying to make their name out of you every day. There are outside distractions. Keep your head straight and fear God first.” Keep your head down and keep working. It’s too big to be the No. 1 player in the country.

Smith is a generational talent. At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, with great speed, hands and an elite work ethic, he is certainly a prospect that can’t be missed. He caught 90 passes for 1,389 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior, a season in which he played with a handful of nationally ranked opponents.

Meanwhile, Smith often felt enormous pressure to stay home. He went into the hiring process with an open mind. He let the big three in-state schools try to convince him they were better options than Ohio State, visiting each campus multiple times for games and practices. He answered the phone when reporters called him to ask if he could change his mind — right up until the end.

“I know today he didn’t do any interviews — just you and the people here tonight,” said Geno Smith Sr., Smith’s uncle, who was on hand inside Hard Rock Stadium Tuesday night before his nephew received the 2023 Nat Moore Award. He was named South Florida High School Player of the Year this season.

“He needed to put the phone down.”

Smith said he sought out his parents, his uncle and his grandmother, Joan Smith, whenever he needed a mental break during the recruiting process. He said he often went to church with his grandmother. At home, he played chess.

“She kept me at peace,” Smith said. “I talked to my grandmother a lot. She kept me at peace, too. I would talk to her about anything that was on my mind. She was very interested in Jesus, God, and the church.”

Not everything about the recruiting process emphasized Smith.

The conversation about him was sparked when LeBron James tweeted about him last month — and seeing him play for the Buckeyes one day. Smith also admitted that he was thrilled when he had the opportunity to meet Tim Tebow on one of his trips to Gainesville.

“He told me to keep God first and go to a school that would help me become a first-round pick,” Smith said of Tebow. “Just do what’s best for you and your family.”

Smith said the campus visits were the best part of the recruiting process. He drove to the Miami campus at least 10 times. He has flown to Columbus, Gainesville and Tallahassee several times each.

His favorite coaches to talk to other than Hartline? Florida State offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, Miami receivers coach Kevin Byrd and Georgia receivers coach Brian McClendon.

“We were talking about life, it wasn’t just about football,” Smith said. “There are coaches, believe it or not, who don’t just care about recruitment. They care about you. Even if you don’t choose their school, they will tell you that you will do great things in life.

His favorite activity in all his visits? Go on a fishing trip around the Georgia campus.

Best meal? He dined at Rusty Pelican during his official visit to Miami, where Smith said he enjoyed some of the best seafood he had ever eaten.

“You only do that once in a life,” Smith said of the treatment he received on official visits. “Seeing other states, other facilities, things like that, that’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Soon, he will head to Columbus to begin his path to the NFL.

It wasn’t easy parting ways with all of his youth football buddies and teammates at Chaminade, including four-star receiver Joshisa Trader, who signed with Miami on Wednesday. Dealer grabbed the microphone and made his announcement just before Smith did so.

As the microphone was passed through the line of teammates, Trader turned to Smith and told him, “Oh my God. We’re almost there. Why am I so nervous?” Then it was finally Smith’s turn.

“I had a feeling he was going to stay with Ohio State,” Trader said. “I know he went through a lot of difficult moments, a lot of thinking. For me, when I looked at him, he was nervous.

Smith and Tredder have been teammates since they were 11 years old. They played together for the Miami Gardens Ravens. It would be really cool to play together in college.

But this was a business decision.

This was about what was best for Jeremiah Smith.

(Photos courtesy of Manny Navarro)