Jeremiah Smith, country’s No. 1 recruit: Weekend visit helped Gators ‘a lot’

Jeremiah Smith knows a great catch when he sees one. And Smith, a 5-star receiver from Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna and the No. 1 recruit in the country for the On3 Industry Rankings, was more than a little impressed by the one-handed grab from Florida’s Ricky Pearsall on Saturday against Charlotte.

“To me, that’s the best catch to ever see in person,” Smith told Gators Online.

Smith, who is having a monster season in south Florida, is an Ohio State commit and one of the Gators’ top remaining targets for the 2024 class. He visited them three times this summer, once for an official in June.

Saturday, the Gators hosted Smith and his family at The Swamp. They arrived about 20 minutes before kickoff, stayed at the stadium with Gators coach Billy Napier and multiple staff members for about two hours after the game, then spent the night in Gainesville to get even more time with Florida on Sunday before heading home.

“I feel like Florida played a good game — just have to finish drives in the endzone,” Smith said. “They were just telling me that they need that big receiver that can run every route.”

During the game, Smith noticed a sign made by Florida students that read “Jeremiah 2 the Swamp.”

“It was pretty cool,” Smith said. “Never had that done for me before.”

The highlight of the visit?

“Being able to talk to (former Gators and NFL linebacker) Brandon Siler and just (him) telling me what Florida can do for me on and off the field,” Smith said. “And he kept it real with me the whole conversation that he had for 15 minutes.”

Additionally, Smith seemed to enjoy his time with Napier.

“I spent at least 20 minutes with him after the game,” Smith told Gators Online. “His message to me was that this is a place where you can come and be the best version of myself on and off the field. And just telling me how I can be that X receiver that they need for next year. And how me and (5-star quarterback commit) DJ Lagway can come in and get Florida to the way it used to be.”

According to Smith, the Gators helped themselves this weekend.

“It helped them a lot,” he said. “I mean just being able to see them play in person. I like the way the offense looked and I see the way the program is headed.”

Sunday night, Smith’s father told Gators Online the family will be back in Gainesville this November for the Florida-Florida State game.

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