Jeremiah Smith opted for Ohio State, and now faces his hometown Hurricanes in CFP Cotton Bowl

ARLINGTON, Texas — Jeremiah Smith was answering questions only a few feet away from his coach when Ryan Day was asked how different the Cotton Bowl would be for defending national champion Ohio State had the AP All-America receiver opted to sign with his hometown Miami team in recruiting.

''I'm certainly glad he's on our side,'' Day said.

Two years after the nation's No. 1 recruit signed with Ohio State instead of staying home, Smith and the No. 3 Buckeyes (12-1) face No. 10 Miami (11-2) in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal on Wednesday night.

''You could say there's a little bit of a emotion. I'm from Miami, grew up in Miami, from Miami Gardens, so you can say there's emotion going against my hometown team,'' Smith was saying nearby. ''At the end of the day, I'm happy for those guys to be here, and for me to play against them.''

The Hurricanes certainly wanted him. They were the first to make an offer to him, when he was a sophomore in high school, and kept recruiting the receiver from Miami Gardens — where their stadium is located — until the very end.

Smith committed to Ohio State when he was a junior and stuck to that a year later, but there were still some anxious moments for Day and the Buckeyes on that December 2023 signing day.

Day began meeting with local media for a signing day news conference before Smith, who did have some second thoughts, had officially signed his paperwork. The coach buckled his knees and feigned falling down when an assistant signaled to him the deal was done.

The Hurricanes had just finished a 6-6 regular season in coach Mario Cristobal's second second when Smith officially signed with Ohio State. Miami has since had consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 2000-03, the span that included its last national championship and only other postseason meeting against the Buckeyes.

''Obviously he's a great player, and elite player, an elite family, and that comes with recruiting,'' Cristobal said Tuesday. ''Certainly, whenever you don't have a recruiting win, if you really are in for the right reasons, you wish a player and his family the best, and he's certainly done a great job.''

Smith isn't the only Buckeyes starter from the Miami area. Smith and defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr., who has 6 1/2 sacks this season, were prep teammates, and receiver Brandon Inniss is from Hollywood, Florida.

There are also several former Ohio State recruits from South Florida that ultimately decided to stay home, including running backs Mark Fletcher Jr. and Jordan Lyles. Fletcher, a sophomore, is coming off a career-best 172 yards rushing for the Hurricanes in their first-round CFP win at Texas A&M.

Miami's roster also includes three players who like Smith and Jackson attended Chaminade-Madonna Prep — receiver Joshisa ''JoJo'' Trader, defensive back Chris Ewald Jr., and defensive lineman Donta Simpson.

''I think about those things a lot, honestly. But I think it's all these little things that add up over time. It's never just one thing, in my opinion. It's all the little things that add up over time,'' Day said.

''But to watch Jeremiah work from the minute he stepped into our building to where he is right now, he's got a great spirit about him. He does. And he knows what he wants. Hates to lose. Highly competitive," the coach said. "He's the type of guy that you just love to be around every day. He's a great teammate. Obviously, a great player.''

Day went on to laud the 20-year-old receiver's disciplined approach and how organized he is about where he goes and what he does.

The coach also knows how important facing Miami is to Smith.

''There's a lot of guys there that he grew up around," Day said. ''And he'll be at his best.''