While Jeremiah Smith’s Ohio State career is only beginning, his younger brother is already trying to follow in his footsteps.
The participants in Ohio State’s third high school football camp of the month on Tuesday included Angelo Smith, the younger brother of Jeremiah Smith. A soon-to-be sophomore who plays both wide receiver and safety for Chaminade-Madonna – the same high school Jeremiah attended in Hollywood, Florida – Smith was among the prospects from the prestigious South Florida Express 7-on-7 program that traveled to Columbus to work out at OSU on Tuesday.
As a prospect in the 2027 recruiting class, Smith’s recruitment remains in its early stages. Though he holds an offer from Miami and received an offer from Toledo on Tuesday, Smith hasn’t yet received an offer from Ohio State. But he has high expectations for himself as his high school career progresses.
“I feel like I'm gonna be a better player than him, I know that,” Angelo told Eleven Warriors when asked how his game compares to his brother. “I play both sides of the ball. I’m definitely a game-changer.”
Surpassing his brother’s achievements as a high school player won’t come easily, considering Jeremiah finished the 2024 recruiting cycle as the No. 1 overall prospect in his class. Widely considered to be one of the best wide receiver recruits ever, Jeremiah Smith is expected to play a major role immediately in Ohio State’s offense this season and continue OSU’s recent history of producing elite receivers.
Jeremiah was on the sideline to support his brother as he participated in Tuesday’s camp, and the two brothers spent time throwing passes to one another after camp concluded. Seeing everything his brother has achieved over the past few years has inspired Angelo to chase greatness himself.
“A lot, man,” Angelo said when asked how Jeremiah inspires him. “Watching him work, I definitely want to be better than him, I know that.”
Angelo Smith, the younger brother of Jeremiah Smith, catching a throw from his brother after camping at Ohio State today. pic.twitter.com/UaPn4kC57A
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 11, 2024
While Jeremiah might already be on his way to the NFL by the time Angelo starts his college career in 2027, the younger Smith brother would be grateful if he gets the opportunity to play at Ohio State, too.
“It would just be a legacy,” Angelo said of potentially playing for Ohio State. “And hopefully, if I have kids, they come here as well, so it'd be great.”
Angelo, who isn’t yet as big as his brother as he currently measures in at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, says he likes playing safety most but is being recruited primarily as a wide receiver. He spent most of Tuesday’s camp working out at the latter position with his older brother’s new position coach at Ohio State, Brian Hartline. Angelo felt he learned a lot from that opportunity.
“He taught me so many things that other coaches haven't taught me at the college level,” Angelo said. “And when your coach knows what he's doing and teaching you, that's gonna separate you from other receivers.”
As a member of SFE, which has produced a multitude of elite prospects in recent years including Jeremiah Smith and Ohio State sophomore wide receivers Brandon Inniss and Carnell Tate, Angelo has had plenty of talent around him to push him. He named current Ohio State recruiting targets Vernell Brown III and Jamie Ffrench, ranked as two of the top six receivers in the 2025 class, as two of the players he’s currently trying to learn from.
He believes facing the competition he’ll face throughout the next three years in South Florida will prepare him well for the collegiate level.
“Everybody down there are dogs, everybody down there is gonna compete,” Angelo said. “They're gonna talk on the field. They're gonna just make you better.”
“Watching him work, I definitely want to be better than him, I know that.”– Angelo Smith on how his older brother Jeremiah inspires him
Angelo said Ohio State was the first school he visited this summer as his school year just ended last week. As of now, Angelo’s only other scheduled visit is to UCF for a 7-on-7 camp.
Whether Angelo will ultimately get the opportunity to play at Ohio State like his brother will depend on how he grows and performs over the rest of his high school career. Considering who his brother is and what Jeremiah is expected to be at Ohio State, though, the Buckeyes will surely be keeping a close eye on Angelo’s development, and he’ll look to show them and other colleges that he can be a difference-maker.
“I wanna be a playmaker on the field, both sides if I have to,” Angelo said when asked about his goals for next season. “I just wanna be a playmaker and be able to change the game.”
