Angelo Smith follows big brother Jeremiah's footsteps, commits to Buckeyes

The younger Smith plays on the other side of the ball as a safety. He lacks ideal size at only 5’10, 165 pounds, but makes up for it with his track speed and football IQ. Smith is a three-star prospect out of Chaminade-Madonna College Prep in Florida and quickly earned playing time. At the time of his commitment, Smith was rated as the No.35 recruit in Florida and the No. 32-rated safety in the nation.

As a sophomore in 2024, Smith was credited with 40 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and three interceptions for the Lions. His play earned offers from Toledo, Oklahoma State, Miami, and most importantly, Ohio State. 

Smith becomes the third commit to pledge for the 2027 Buckeyes class, following five-star wide receiver and No.2 overall player Jamier Brown and quarterback Brady Edmunds (No. 2 rated pocket-passer). 

From a scouting perspective, Smith is most comfortable playing as a deep safety and patrolling center field in the defensive backfield. He worked out of a single-high safety look for most of his sophomore year, highlighting his maturity and game knowledge in being entrusted in that role as an underclassman.

Despite being undersized, Smith attacks as a defender and is pretty physical for his position. He can take down bigger ballcarriers with relative ease, and his tackling is consistently solid.

One unknown variable is Smith’s room for growth. He is a younger prospect for his class, and he could still grow. His brother, Jeremiah, underwent a huge physical transformation in high school as he became an upperclassman, and that type of spurt could still be in the cards for Angelo. 

One area that Smith slightly struggles with is man coverage, and he should continue to work on it. If Smith can become a stronger defender in man coverage, he will be a much stronger and more well-rounded player.

This is a big recruiting win for the Buckeyes. Despite Angelo not having as high of a recruiting profile as his brother, he is still a strong prospect who could earn playing time in Columbus down the road if he continues to improve. More importantly, this move should help keep big brother Jeremiah happy as the Buckeyes look to keep their best player satisfied.