Ohio State’s Ryan Day fakes dizziness on National Signing Day 2023 after signing No. 1 prospect Jeremiah Smith; despite last-minute duress from Miami, Smith remains committed.
Day was on the podium for his National Signing Day 2023 press conference when a worker informed him that Smith had made his pick.NBC4’s Jerod Smalley obtained video of Day feigning relief after officially landing one of the top receiver commits of all time.Smith recommitted to Ohio State during a ceremony at his Chaminade-Madonna Prep outside of Miami. The hometown Hurricanes made flipping Smith a priority and were in his ear until the end. Smith told The Athletic that he had hats for both Ohio State and Miami in his backpack and just chose on Ohio State at the last minute.
The South Florida native is one of the most exciting wide receiver prospects in history. He is the only wideout recruit in history to be ranked #1 in the Top247 after catching 177 receptions for 3,116 yards and 46 touchdowns in three years.
“One of the top overall prospects to come out of South Florida in the modern recruiting era,” 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins said of Smith, comparing him to Julio Jones. “An absolute bully at the catch point that will give defenses fits given the rare combination of his size, speed and hands.”
Keeping Smith became even more important as terrible reports about Ohio State’s class began to circulate in recent days. On signing day, running back Jordan Lyle chose Miami over Oregon, while blue-chip receiver Jeremiah McClellan chose Washington.Alabama also made a strong bid for five-star defensive lineman Eddrick Houston, but he chose to reaffirm his commitment to Ohio State.
Retaining the best athlete in the class provides Day and his staff with much-needed momentum moving into a key 2024 season. Ohio State’s three starting receivers, Marvin Harrison Jr., Julian Fleming, and Emeka Egbuka, are all likely to leave next season. Smith will be counted on to contribute right away as Ohio State adjusts to a new starting quarterback after losing Kyle McCord to Syracuse.