Mario Cristobal responds to Jeremiah Smith’s comments about choosing Ohio State over Miami
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Mario Cristobal on Tuesday addressed comments made by Jeremiah Smith, with the Ohio State wide receiver — a South Florida native — explaining on Monday that part of the reason he spurned Miami was that the program wasn’t “on the right track.”
There’s definitely some credence to Smith’s comments. When he committed to the Buckeyes in Dec. 2022, the Hurricanes were in the midst of a 5-7 season. When he signed his NLI with Ohio State a year later, the Canes were headed for a 7-6 mark.
Of course, Cristobal has gone on to lead the Canes to their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance and a first-round win over Texas A&M. With the Buckeyes and Hurricanes set to meet in Wednesday’s Playoff quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl, the Miami head coach was asked what he thought of Smith’s remarks, given the improved state of the Miami program today.
“Obviously, he’s a great player, an elite player (with) an elite family, and that comes with recruiting,” Cristobal said. “And certainly, whenever you don’t have a recruiting win, if you really are in it for the right reasons, you wish a player and his family the best. And he’s certainly done a great job.”
Smith burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2024 as part of a Buckeyes team that won the national championship. He’ll obviously be a prime target for the Hurricanes defense come Wednesday night in Arlington.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
