Father of 5-star WR Jeremiah Smith: Florida Gators made ‘very good impression’ on official visit
![Father of 5-star WR Jeremiah Smith: Florida Gators made ‘very good impression’ on official visit](https://on3static.com/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2023/05/16084918/FwP8OOGXwAE6fys-1.jpg)
The official visit over the weekend to Florida by Jeremiah Smith seems to have impressed the heralded 5-star Ohio State receiver commit — and his family.
“It was a very good visit,” said Smith’s father, Chris Smith. “Very informative. It was good. I got to see things I didn’t see from the unofficial and I got to talk to the wide receiver coach, Coach Billy Gonzales. And we got to talk with Bill Napier. We had a very good conversation about the school and a couple things like that. As a parent, I’d say the best part was just the way they embrace my son. The way they interacted with my family. It was just a great experience.”
Jeremiah Smith is one of the biggest Gator targets in the 2024 class. He’s the No. 1 receiver and No. 2 overall prospect for the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
The Smith family arrived in Gainesville on Friday evening and stayed through mid-Sunday afternoon.
For them, it was an educational trip, Chris Smith said. He noted there were multiple non-football things that got their attention.
“The thing I heard (Jeremiah) speak about is the educational part,” Chris Smith said. “He also talked about the alumni and how life after football is.”
Was there anything that surprised the family about Florida?
“The recovery and rehab part,” Chris Smith said. “That really impressed me with the medical ability they have. They have things designed to help player recover if they get injured. It’s a very high-tech facility. That’s really impressive.”
According to the elder Smith, Napier impressed him, too.
“Oh man, genuine,” he said. “This is a genuine guy, great guy. He really talked well about my son.”
Jeremiah Smith has bonded with Gators QB commit DJ Lagway
Smith confirmed to Gators Online that Jeremiah spent much of his free time in Gainesville with Gators 5-star quarterback commit DJ Lagway. And, he said, they get along well.
“Oh man, they’re cool,” Smith told Gators Online. “They’ve been in different environments together. They were at the On3 NIL event last week (in Nashville, Tenn.) and they’ve been bumping into each other a lot. They have a cool relationship. DJ is a great kid. I got to talk to him. He’s going to be something there (at Florida).”
Did Florida help itself over the weekend?
“I would say they made a very good impression,”: Smith said.
That said, flipping the elite receiver from the Buckeyes probably won’t be easy.
“Right now, we’re just locked In with Ohio State,” Chris Smith said. “We have other visits he’s going to attend. We’re going to let Jeremiah enjoy his visits and take his OVs.”
According to Chris Smith, it’s likely his son will attend a Florida home game this season. Additionally, the Gators have invited him to a barbecue in July
“We’re going to see if he’s available,” Smith said.
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