The Miami Hurricanes have faced plenty of snubs from top in-state talent over the years. But none may have been bigger than Jeremiah Smith.
Smith, a true five-star prospect from Opa Locka, Florida, starred at Chaminade-Madonna High School — the same program that produced hopeful Miami breakout receiver JoJo Trader, a former teammate of Smith’s.
Ideally, Miami would have liked to have landed both receivers in the same class. Instead, Trader stayed home while Smith chose Ohio State and became a national champion. According to On3’s Ari Wasserman, quarterback Cam Ward tried to recruit Smith to Coral Gables, but the effort never gained traction — and Ward reportedly never got a response.
On the evening of National Signing Day for the 2024 recruiting class, Smith was among the last top prospects to submit his paperwork. It wasn’t a matter of waiting an hour or two — his decision dragged deep into the night, with speculation swirling over whether he would flip and stay home in South Florida.
It turns out Miami had him thinking. Specifically, quarterback Cam Ward.
“What went into me taking a long period to send my NLI in was paperwork, the business side of things,” Smith said. “That night, I definitely talked to Cam Ward. Thought about something, but … ”
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Smith said he hasn't talked to Ward since.
Wasserman speculated that if Smith had signed with Miami, the Hurricanes could have fielded one of the most explosive offenses in college football history.
“That’s a rough ‘but’ for Miami,” Wasserman wrote. “It has to be painful to contemplate what last year could have been like had Smith been out there catching balls from Ward, who was the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft.
“Drop Smith into an offense that also had receivers Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George and running backs Damien Martinez and Mark Fletcher Jr.? That may have been one of the best offenses of all time. Could Miami have made a run to the national title?”
Many believed the Hurricanes could’ve made a run regardless — if not for their porous defense. But Smith may have been the ultimate X factor to put them over the top.
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