"Jeremiah Smith was cut from his football team": CFB reporter reveals major turning point of Ohio State WR's career

Jeremiah Smith has become one of the standout wide recievers in college football. Heading into the 2025 season, much is expected from the Ohio State sophomore.

However, Smith was not always the top player he is today. College football reporter Nicole Shearin revealed a major turning point in his career.

"At seven years old, Jeremiah Smith was cut from his football team," Shearin said on Friday, via the "Mose Knows" podcast.

The news suprised many, including those who saw Smith play in high school and college. He was one of the best players of his team and wasn't considered a cut candidate. A seven-year-old getting cut from a football team also does not normally happen in youth football.

It served as a turning point in Smith's approach to football. To never get cut again, he strived to turn himself into the best player he could be.

"I still really remember that moment of the hurt feelings of being a seven-year-old kid that just wanted to play football and didn't get the chance to that year, so I don't take anything for granted anymore," Smith said in January, via the New York Times.

Jeremiah Smith on his preparations for the season

Jeremiah Smith was linked to the Dallas Cowboys on Friday. After trading Micah Parsons, the Cowboys will have two first round picks in the 2027 NFL draft, and they could select Smith. The Ohio State wide receiver addressed these rumors and spoke about how he is preparing for the season.

"I’ve been handling it very well. I come from humble beginnings," Smith said on Friday, via "The Triple Option."

"I don’t all that stuff get to my head. I just focus on the main thing, and that’s football and the team. So I don’t let all that, you know, all the awards I’m up for and all the hype around my name (affect that). I just want to focus on the team and focus on football.”

Smith will be part of the Buckeyes' season opener against the Texas Longhorns on Saturday. It's a clash between two national championship contenders, and a game where Smith hopes to make a difference for his team.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez