Eric Boggs
Ohio State continued to build their 2027 recruiting class as Angelo Smith, the younger brother of star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, announced his commitment to the Buckeyes on Sunday night. The three-star defensive back in the class of 2027 becomes the third member of Ryan Day’s future group, joining quarterback Brady Edmunds and five-star receiver Jamier Brown.
Smith earned his offer from Ohio State the hard way. After first camping as a wide receiver in 2024, he returned to Columbus this summer to work out as a defensive back. Only then did the Buckeyes extend an offer, a fact that made his commitment even more meaningful. “Getting an offer like that, it felt wonderful,” Smith stated in an interview with eleven warriors. “I feel like I really put a lot of work into it and it wasn’t just given to me. Knowing I’m his brother and stuff, people just think stuff’s supposed to be given to me … So knowing that I had to work for it to get it, it was a good feeling at the end of the day.”
Currently a junior at Chaminade-Madonna College Prep in Florida, the same powerhouse program his brother once led, Smith has shown early signs of his ability. In three games this fall he’s recorded 18 tackles, an interception, two pass breakups, and a half-sack. At 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, he doesn’t have Jeremiah’s size, but he prides himself on making up for it with relentless effort. “I’m not the biggest person in the world,” Smith said. “It might be other guys that’s bigger than me. So I feel like I just work at 10 times harder for everything, and that’s really what pushes me to be different.”
His brother’s success at Ohio State has set the bar high. Jeremiah has already established himself as one of the biggest stars in college football, rewriting freshman receiving records with 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024 on the way to a national championship. Through three games of his sophomore season, he has added 20 receptions for 315 yards and three more scores. A projected top-five NFL draft pick in 2027, Jeremiah likely won’t share the field with Angelo in Columbus, but his journey has served as powerful motivation. “It inspired me a lot and I know it inspired a lot of other kids,” Angelo said. “Seeing he came in as a freshman, it probably inspired so much kids to want to come in and start as well.”
Smith chose Ohio State over offers from Miami, Oklahoma State, Akron, Georgia State, and Toledo. For the Buckeyes, his commitment reinforces a pipeline of talent from Chaminade-Madonna and underscores the importance of work ethic and development over name recognition. Ohio State fans can take pride in knowing the Smith family legacy in scarlet and gray is far from finished, with Angelo set to carve out his own path when he arrives in Columbus in two years.
