Jeremiah Smith has made it clear there’s one loss he hasn’t shaken: Miami.
The Ohio State wide receiver told Bud Elliott of the Cover 3 podcast that the Cotton Bowl defeat has stayed with him, and that the Hurricanes are the team he wants revenge on more than any other. Smith said the reaction from people back home has only kept that feeling alive.
"Gotta be the hometown team. Gotta be," Smith said.
"I heard it a lot every time I went back home. Got to be Miami."
That means if Smith gets his shot at payback, it likely has to come in the playoffs - and ideally at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the site of the CFP Championship Game.
Smith’s connection to Miami has been part of the story all along. The Broward County native already owns a CFP championship ring from 2024, when Mario Cristobal’s Miami program was still trying to get rolling.
Plenty of Hurricanes fans were frustrated when Ohio State came into Miami’s backyard and landed Smith, but the move made sense at the time. Ohio State had the track record, especially when it came to developing receivers under then-coach Brian Hartline.
And Smith proved why the Buckeyes wanted him. There was no shortage of respect for his game from the Miami side after the Cotton Bowl. He was the player trying to keep Ohio State afloat while Carnell Tate was running away from difficult catches, and he was also trying to help Julian Sayin survive the pressure from Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor.
In hindsight, the move may have helped Miami as much as it helped Ohio State. Cristobal had to live with the reminder of what Smith could have been for the Hurricanes during the 2024 season, even as Cam Ward and Miami put together a strong year.
The what-if was obvious: how much better would Miami have been with Smith in the lineup? Could the Hurricanes have beaten Georgia Tech or Syracuse and reached the playoffs?
Cristobal responded by doubling down on local recruiting. That approach has started to pay off. Malachi Toney and Bryce Fitzgerald both became freshman standouts, and Bain, another local product, went on to become an All-American and a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The momentum has carried into Miami’s 2027 class, where eight of the 20 commits are within 100 miles of campus. The Hurricanes are also favored to land another local five-star, Amir Sears. Cristobal isn’t planning to let another Jeremiah Smith situation slip away.
Smith still wants revenge on Miami for the loss last season. Cristobal, in his own way, has been chasing payback ever since Smith left home.
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Mario Cristobal has sounded comfortable with the overall quarterback room, and for Miami, that matters beyond the immediate backup job. Colemans development is part of the bigger picture for a roster that wants more than just a dependable No. 2, especially with depth and future stability always in view. The battle is still open, but the fact that Coleman has made it interesting says plenty about where he stands right now. [Read more 🡒]
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Damari Brown Gives Miami One More Secondary Storyline To Watch
Damari Browns return gives Miami another name to monitor in a secondary that already has plenty of reasons to draw attention. The cornerback has dealt with recurring foot injuries that have cut into his playing time in recent seasons, but he is back with the Hurricanes as a redshirt junior and trying to carve out a role as a rotation corner while keeping his NFL ambitions in view.
Brown also brings a family football background that fits the programs habit of leaning on pedigree and development in the defensive backfield. For Miami, the appeal is simple: if he can stay healthy, he adds more depth and experience to a unit that is expected to be a strength, and another layer to a position group that could end up shaping how far the Hurricanes go this fall. [Read more 🡒]