Jack Daniels had never seen a catch quite like that before.
The South Florida high school coach, with 35 years of experience, found himself facing Chaminade-Madonna in the playoffs — and their star wide receiver, future Ohio State standout Jeremiah Smith.
“They were already beating us pretty soundly, and then they had the running back throw the ball,” Jack Daniels recalled. “And [Smith] went up — he must have been 5 feet above the goalpost, over a kid who was a Power 4 corner [Kevin Levy, now at Rutgers]. … It was just unbelievable.”
Daniels, the coach at Cardinal Newman, has competed against numerous future NFL wide receivers, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Devin Hester and Super Bowl champion Anquan Boldin. Yet, in his view, Smith stands apart.
“He is, without a doubt, the best I’ve ever seen,” Daniels said, likening Smith’s high school dominance to that of Baltimore Ravens MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, who once dazzled at Boynton Beach Community High School.
Archbishop Carroll coach Jorge Zagales, who also faced Chaminade-Madonna in the playoffs, echoed the sentiment. Over his three decades on the sidelines, he could recall only one other player who dominated the field like Smith.
“I coached against Sean Taylor, and Jeremiah is right there, if not on the same level as Sean Taylor,” said Zagales, referring to the former Pro Bowl safety from Gulliver Prep who tragically passed away at 24. “Sean Taylor was on track to be a Hall of Famer, and I believe Jeremiah is headed down that same path.”
Clearwater Central Catholic coach Chris Harvey, who grew up in West Virginia, recalled watching Randy Moss dominate at DuPont High School. As a coach, Harvey had never encountered a player comparable to Moss — until he faced Smith in the Florida state championship game.
“You saw what [Moss] did to professional DBs, so you can imagine what he did to high school DBs in West Virginia,” Harvey said. “I love my home state, but Florida isn’t West Virginia. We’ve got elite players here — and Jeremiah Smith made us look like those high school DBs Moss torched back in the day.”
It might sound like an exaggeration, but the hype is real. Just 14 games into his freshman season at Ohio State, 19-year-old Jeremiah Smith has already emerged as one of college football’s elite wide receivers. He put his immense talent on full display during a dazzling 41-21 Rose Bowl victory over Oregon.
Smith exploded in the first half with five catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns, ultimately finishing the game with seven receptions for 187 yards and those two scores.
“His physical attributes (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) are almost unmatched for someone his age, but what truly separates him is his maturity,” said Ohio State offensive coordinator and former NFL head coach Chip Kelly. “A lot of guys might let the hype get to them, but not him. He carries himself like a 10-year NFL veteran.”
Even on an Ohio State offense stacked with future NFL stars — including running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, as well as preseason All-American wide receiver Emeka Egbuka — Smith stands out. He leads the Buckeyes with 1,224 receiving yards and 70 receptions.
Smith broke Cris Carter’s Ohio State freshman record for touchdown catches, set in 1984, with his eighth score back in October — and he hasn’t slowed down since. Following his dominant Rose Bowl performance, his touchdown total now sits at 14
He has found the end zone in 11 of the Buckeyes’ 14 games this season, often in spectacular fashion, including highlight-reel one-handed grabs against Michigan State and Iowa.
TWO UNBELIEVEABLE ONE-HANDED CATCHES BY JEREMIAH SMITH 🤯
THEY CAN'T GUARD HIM 👀 pic.twitter.com/vGUUs6rn41
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 29, 2024
For those who competed against Jeremiah Smith in high school, his jaw-dropping catches are hardly surprising.
In their state championship game, Clearwater Central Catholic coach Chris Harvey thought Chaminade quarterback CJ Bailey was simply throwing the ball away.
“Then out of nowhere comes this arm,” Harvey said. “And [Smith] reels it back in for a touchdown, like Stretch Armstrong. It was one of the best catches I’ve ever seen. But the crazy part is, he does it so often that he doesn’t even celebrate it.”
Harvey’s team has faced Chaminade in the last two state championship games, losing by a combined score of 104-14. In the second matchup, Smith caught 11 passes for 170 yards, leading Chaminade to a dominant 56-0 victory and their third consecutive state title.
After the game, South Florida coach Alex Golesh, who was in attendance, offered Harvey a simple consolation: “That’s just what happens when you’re playing a generational talent.”
“And that’s exactly what he is,” Harvey said. “Outside of Randy Moss, I’ve never seen anyone take over a game at that position the way he did.”
Smith’s rise to that level wasn’t accidental.
North Carolina running back Davion Gause, a childhood friend and former teammate at Chaminade, recalled a pivotal moment from Smith’s youth.
“He got cut from our football team when we were kids,” Gause said. “But he still came to the park every day, watching us practice and playing catch with his dad. By the time he came back the next year, he was a completely different player.”
“He was unstoppable,” said Bailey, now NC State’s starting quarterback.
Bailey, Gause, and Smith later united at Chaminade, creating one of the nation’s most dominant high school teams. Chaminade coach Dameon Jones praised Smith’s unmatched commitment and relentless work ethic.
“His mindset, especially for someone so young, is extraordinary,” said Jones, who previously coached NFL players Tyler Huntley and Zack Moss. “I’ve never seen anything like it. He’s the complete package.”
As a junior, Smith dealt with a hip flexor injury. Jones encouraged him to take a break from practice to recover, but Smith refused.
“He got mad at me,” Jones said. “He told me, ‘I’m not missing practice. I’m not missing reps.'”
That dedication followed Smith to Ohio State, where he became the first freshman to earn the “Iron Buckeye” honor, awarded to the top performers in offseason training.
“Jeremiah is already a freak in the weight room,” said teammate Emeka Egbuka, who also received the accolade.
What truly sets Smith apart, however, are his spectacular one-handed catches. Inspired by Odell Beckham Jr.’s iconic grab in 2014, Smith spent hours perfecting similar catches, first with his dad and later with jug machines alongside teammate Joshisa Trader.
“All those one-handed catches you’re seeing now in college? I’ve seen way crazier from him,” Bailey said.
One memorable one-handed catch came during a nationally televised victory over Miami Central, leaving opposing defenses in awe.
“[He] would dominate defenses,” said Pitt defensive end Zachary Crothers, a former teammate. “You could see they didn’t want to line up against him.”
Bailey first realized Smith’s potential during a 7-on-7 tournament after Smith transferred to Chaminade as a sophomore. Down by a score with time running out, Smith confidently requested a fade route. Bailey threw it, and Smith delivered, catching the pass over a defender for a touchdown and securing the game-winning two-point conversion.
“After that, we never lost a 7-on-7 tournament,” Bailey said. “With him, I’ve seen it all.”
Despite his dominance, Smith rarely demanded the ball. The only time he did was during a close game against American Heritage, when an opposing defensive back’s trash talk pushed him to speak up.
“So, we threw him a bomb,” Jones said. “He caught the touchdown over the defender. JJ is quiet and humble, but he’s got that competitive fire inside him.”
Smith has carried that same mentality to Ohio State, a program that has produced first-round draft picks like Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison, selected fourth overall by the Arizona Cardinals this spring, became the highest-drafted receiver in Ohio State history. Yet, Smith-Njigba believes Smith has the potential to surpass them all.
“He could play one year of college and be NFL-ready,” Smith-Njigba said. “I’ve never seen a receiver that young with his ability.”
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