Jeremiah Smith Reveals Being Pursued 'Very Hard' in CFB Transfer Portal After OSU's Loss to Miami

Even though Jeremiah Smith never gave an indication that he was looking to leave Ohio State, there was a team that aggressively pursued the star wide receiver through the transfer portal.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Smith cited an unnamed team that pushed "very hard" to get him to transfer following Ohio State's loss to Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

Smith did state that everyone could probably assume who the team was. When he was coming out of Chaminade-Madonna High School as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, three programs in his home state of Florida made late aggressive pushes to get him to flip his commitment from Ohio State.

Those programs were Miami, Florida and Florida State. Chris Smith, Jeremiah's father, told Fox Sports' Michael Cohen on Dec. 31, the same day as the Ohio State-Miami playoff game, that his son was "this close" to flipping to the Hurricanes.

While Smith has not confirmed Miami was the team that pursued him, it's certainly fun to think about a hypothetical scenario in which he is paired with Malachi Toney as the top two wide receivers for the U in 2026.

Smith has the second-highest NIL valuation of all players in college football at $4.2 million, so he's doing okay staying at Ohio State for a third season.

The 20-year-old could be the first wide receiver selected in the 2027 NFL draft if he declares after next season. He has recorded 2,558 yards and 27 touchdowns in 29 games over his first two years at Ohio State.