Chaminade-Madonna’s Jeremiah Smith is the Broward 2M-1M Offensive Player of the Year
You know when a movie dominates during awards season, winning an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actor’s Guild Award and others?
Chaminade-Madonna senior wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is having that kind of experience these days.
Smith, a senior wide receiver and Ohio State signee who is rated the top overall prospect in the nation by 247Sports and Rivals, has won MaxPreps National Player of the Year, the Nat Moore Trophy, All-American Bowl’s Player of the Year and Warren Henry South Florida Player of the Year in recent weeks.
So after a season in which he caught 90 passes for 1,389 yards and 19 touchdowns to lead Chaminade-Madonna to a third consecutive state title and a No. 2 national ranking, Smith was a no-brainer to win the Miami Herald’s Class 2M-1M Offensive Player of the Year honor.
“It all went fast the last four years of high school and senior year was the fastest winning a state title,” Smith said. “I’m just happy I could do that with my guys and can’t wait to see them in college take it to the top.”
Smith, who many believe isn’t just a top college prospect but a potential elite NFL receiver in the making, helped elevate Chaminade to new heights during his career.
In three seasons with the Lions, Smith caught 177 passes for 3,030 yards and 45 touchdowns.
His performances in one of the country’s most explosive offenses keyed a run of three consecutive state titles that are the back end of a stretch of six state crowns in seven seasons for Chaminade.
Smith (6-4, 210 pounds) delivered some of the best games of his career this past season to lead Chaminade to a dominant 14-0 season that included wins against five nationally-ranked opponents. The Lions scored a staggering 687 points and outscored their opponents by 500 points.
In the state final - a 56-0 thrashing of Clearwater Central Catholic - the Lions went to Smith on the game’s first three plays culminating with a 50-yard touchdown catch on a throw by quarterback Cedrick Bailey. Smith went on to catch 13 passes for 183 yards in the game.
Highlighted by his 17-catch, 321-yard, three-touchdown game against Bergen Catholic (NJ), Smith had eight or more catches and 100 or more yards receiving in five games this season.
“I’m a little emotional right now because this is my last high school game,” Smith said after the state final win.
Smith took his recruiting into the late hours on the first day of the early signing period on Dec. 20 before finally choosing Ohio State over Miami and Florida State. Smith said he can’t wait to play in a revamped Big Ten Conference next season that will now include Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington.
“I’ve just been relaxing and focusing on getting bigger, faster and stronger and getting started at Ohio State,” Smith said after the Warren Henry Auto awards ceremony. “It’s back to square one now.”
