‘I definitely talked to Cam Ward’ - Jeremiah Smith opens up about Miami interest that will make Ohio State fans uneasy

At the time Smith, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2024, was expected to sign with Ohio State, rumors were also swirling that he might stay home in South Florida and commit to Miami.

That didn’t end up happening, and Miami was never able to land the star wideout — though it certainly sounds like it came close.

Jeremiah Smith confirms he spoke with former Miami QB Cam Ward before signing with Ohio State

Miami reportedly put together a strong NIL package in its pursuit of Smith, one worthy of landing a player of his caliber. But ultimately, Ohio State’s reputation for developing elite wide receivers won out.

Smith was asked about the situation on a recent episode of Andy & Ari with On3’s Ari Wasserman and Andy Staples.

“What went into me taking a long time to send my NLI in is just paperwork, stuff like that, business side of things,” Smith explained. “That night I definitely talked to Cam Ward. Thought about something, but…”

That’s where Smith paused and was briefly interrupted before he slipped up and said what the thought was about. He continued by saying that he didn’t actually tell Ward where he was headed — he simply made his decision and followed through.

“I didn’t really tell him. We just got on the phone and he was like, ‘What you gonna do?’ A couple hours later, I sent the NLI in.”

Holding off Miami proved to be huge for the Buckeyes, and they may not have won the National Championship without their freshman star. Smith finished his debut season with 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. From Week 1 on, the Florida native was Ohio State’s top offensive weapon.

Had Miami landed Smith and paired him with Cam Ward — who went on to be the No. 1 overall pick — the duo might have been enough to push the Hurricanes into the College Football Playoff. Instead, Ohio State fans will get to enjoy two more seasons of Smith before he makes the leap to the NFL.