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Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the top-ranked player in the 2024 recruiting class and the highest-rated wide receiver in high school football history, helped the Buckeyes win a national title last season with 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.
On Tuesday, he retweeted a post that praised athletes like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods and Tom Brady for their competitive drive, but said LeBron “wants to PLAY WITH everyone else and take shortcuts to easy rings," and labelled him a "coward."
The retweet caused some controversy before Smith deleted it.
However, another individual later jumped into the fray. Miami fan and sports writer, Timothy Johnson, shared a screenshot of the deleted retweet and wrote:
Trending
“So Jeremiah Smith thinks LeBron is a “Coward” who “takes shortcuts to easy rings”—You mean like playing for Ohio State to bring them a Natty instead of your hometown team you grew up rooting for? Do the right thing—COME HOME TO THE U BROTHER!!!! NO MORE “LEBRON RING CHASING”!!!!”
Smith responded to the tweet with a four-word message that read:
“Man get a life 😂😂😂🤦🏾”
Jeremiah Smith on Ohio State’s loss to Michigan
While Jeremiah Smith helped the Buckeyes win their first national championship title since 2014, the season wasn’t without its imperfections. It included a fourth straight loss to archrival Michigan.
Despite being heavily favored, the Buckeyes were upset by the Wolverines in the final week of the 2024 regular season. Ohio State still made the playoff and went on to win the national championship, but the sting of the loss remained.
"I'm not a sore loser, but I hate losing, and losing to that team up north was pretty crazy," Smith told The Athletic on July 1. "In the end, I think it really helped us play the way we did in the playoffs. But I didn't want to go to Ohio State and lose to that team up north. I just hate them. Just something about them.
"For the next two years, I promise you, I will not lose to them. I can't lose to them in the next two years."
The Buckeyes open the 2025 season at home against Texas on Aug. 30. Their regular season will conclude with a rematch against Michigan on the road on Nov. 29.
