COLUMBUS, Ohio — Florida’s The Chaminade–Madonna College Preparatory School has won four-straight FHSAA state championships and in one of them decided to adopt a simple philosophy to do so.
The Lions have have become one of the most prominent high school football programs in South Florida, having sent plenty of players to the Power-Four level of college football, even sending a few to Ohio State such as cornerback Ryan Turner — who then transferred to Boston College, then Purdue — and defensive lineman Kenyatta Jackson.
But on this day, Daemon Jones and his coaching staff didn’t feel the need to tap into that depth of talent. They sought to make a statement using the one player on their roster who can do so without saying a single word.
“The whole drive was just, ‘Throw the ball to J.J.,’” Jones told cleveland.com. “We did that all the way down the field for a touchdown. It just killed people’s pride.”
J.J. is better known by the world now as Jeremiah Smith, and he just spent the past year cementing himself as arguably the nation’s best college football player. He didn’t say much en route to doing that either.
Back then, Smith was simply the nation’s best high school player with all eyes on him as he dominated every player Florida tried to throw at him. But how did he become that guy?
When exactly did Smith become this unstoppable force that no one seems to have a solution for?
Nobody seems capable of pinpointing that moment, because the story behind it isn’t nearly as hyperbolic a its result. The talent, work ethic and mindset were always there. He just needed his body to catch up.
“He was always good,” Jones said. “What made him better is when he started going. He went from 5-foot-8, to 6-foot-1, to now he’s 6-foot-3 with the work ethic he’s always had.”
Smith growing into his body created the monster that college football now has to deal with and the Buckeyes get to be the beneficiary of. They, too, get to apply the philosophy of ‘Throw it to J.J. and see if the defense can stop him.’
Smith is about as humble as somebody in his position can be and even he can acknowledge how impossible a task that can be. In his mind, there’s only one scenario where he doesn’t think he has an advantage over his opponent.
“Probably when the whole team is on me,” Smith joked ahead of a 41-21 Rose Bowl win over Oregon when he caught seven of his 10 targets for 187 yards and two scores.
“I’m always open to me. Just throw the ball in my area and I’m gonna find a way to make a play.”
Chaminade–Madonna spent four years daring teams to figure out how to slow down its unstoppable weapon and no one ever succeeded. The result was three state titles, while that weapon caught 179 passes for 3,043 yards and 45 touchdowns.
Ohio State adopted that concept in 2024, especially during its College Football Playoff run. It got OSU a trophy, too, while that weapon broke every freshman receiving record the program had. The only team that figured out how to stop it was Texas — one catch for three yards — and it took every possible resource to do so.
The Longhorns will try to repeat it on Aug. 30 when they come to Columbus. So will every other team the Buckeyes will face over the next two seasons. But that’s a hard task to achieve, let alone twice.
Just ask Jones and the rest of the Chaminade–Madonna coaching staff. They spent years taking advantage of the fact that no one knew what to do with Smith.
“It was nothing they could do,” Jones said. “It didn’t matter if it was a long ball, intermediate ball or a short ball. Nothing.”
What to expect from Jeremiah Smith Week
Monday, June 2
- Jeremiah Smith by the numbers
- What they’re saying about Jeremiah Smith
Tuesday, June 3
- How Jeremiah Smith handles being himself
Wednesday, June 4
- Jeremiah Smith’s dad helps us understand Jeremiah Smith the person
Thursday, June 5
- Coaches help explain Jeremiah Smith, the player
- Jeremiah Smith has set an unrealistic standard for freshman receivers
Friday, June 6
- Is Jeremiah Smith already Ohio State’s greatest receiver?
- If eligible, how early would Jeremiah Smith go in the 2026 NFL Draft?
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