Ohio State coach Ryan Day expressed visible relief after finding out that No. 1 overall recruit Jeremiah Smith officially signed with the Buckeyes after Miami made a late push for the South Floridian. Retaining Smith helps Ohio State lock down a top-five recruiting class and stay atop the Big Ten.
Day was at the podium for his National Signing Day 2023 press conference when a staffer gave him an indication that Smith officially made his decision. NBC4's Jerod Smalley captured video of Day feigning falling to his knees in relief after officially landing one of the top receiver commits of all time.
Ryan Day's in-time reaction when he found out Jeremiah Smith was signing with Ohio State.
— Jerod Smalley (@JerodNBC4) December 20, 2023
This is the visual definition of RELIEF.@nbc4i pic.twitter.com/0b5PFikxpT
Smith recommitted to the Buckeyes in a ceremony at his Chaminade-Madonna Prep outside of Miami. The hometown Hurricanes made flipping Smith a priority and were deep in his ear until the final days. Smith told The Athletic that he brought hats for both Ohio State and Miami in his bag and only decided at the last minute that Ohio State was his destination.
The South Florida native ranks among the most exciting wide receiver prospects ever. He is the first wideout recruit in history to rank No. 1 in the Top247after catching 177 passes for 3,116 yards and 46 touchdowns in three years.
"One of the top overall prospects to come out of South Florida in the modern recruiting era," 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins wrote of Smith, while comparing him to Julio Jones. "An absolute bully at the catch point that will give defenses fits given the rare combination of his size, speed and hands."
Keeping Smith only became a bigger priority after bad news about Ohio State's class started dripping out over the last several days. Running back Jordan Lyle flipped to Miami on signing day, while blue-chip receiver Jeremiah McClellan picked Oregon. Alabama also made a strong run at five-star defensive lineman Eddrick Houston, but he opted to reaffirm his commitment to Ohio State.
Retaining the top player in the class buys Day and his staff some much-needed momentum heading into a pivotal 2024 season. Ohio State's three starting receivers -- Marvin Harrison Jr., Julian Fleming and Emeka Egbuka -- are all expected to be gone next season. Smith will be relied on as an immediate contributor, even as Ohio State breaks in a new starting quarterback after losing Kyle McCord to Syracuse.
