Last updated: October 9, 2026.
Jeremiah Smith was cut from a youth football team at seven. He has said that day changed him. The Jeremiah Smith family took it from there: a father who drove him to workouts all over South Florida, an uncle who coached him, and a cousin already on his way to the NFL.
He is now Ohio State’s all-time leader in receiving yards. His father’s rule through all of it was simple. He never had to play, but he couldn’t quit a team in the middle of a season.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Jeremiah Smith |
| Born | November 29, 2005, Miami Gardens, Florida |
| Father | Chris Smith, business owner |
| Mother | Lativia Newberry, postal worker |
| Siblings | Younger brother Angelo; an older half-sister and half-brother |
| Cousin | NFL quarterback Geno Smith |
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Team | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| Heritage | Bahamian roots on his father’s side |
Who Are Jeremiah Smith’s Parents?
Jeremiah Smith’s parents are Chris Smith and Lativia Newberry. They met in 2001. The fullest account of the family is a November 2024 profile by Michael Cohen of FOX Sports.
Chris Smith, his father
Chris Smith was raised in South Florida and has Bahamian roots. He owns a moving company and a commercial and residential cleaning business.
His own childhood explains how he parents. He told FOX Sports that his parents separated when he was about eight or nine, and that he was raised mostly by his older brother. He promised his mother he would stay involved in the lives of any children he had.
He kept the promise. He played catch with Jeremiah for hours, then drove him to workouts around the region. The two grew close on those long car rides.
He didn’t force the sport. Each season he asked whether his son still enjoyed it. He later played down his own part, telling Yahoo Sports that he only helped his son get in shape and that the effort was Jeremiah’s.
Lativia Newberry, his mother
Lativia Newberry works for the post office. She ran track in middle school and high school, which fits a son who won two state hurdles titles.
She leaves football decisions to Chris. She is very close to her son all the same. FOX Sports reports that they speak every day and that she travels to watch him play.
She would have liked him closer to home. Her first choice was Florida State.
Does Jeremiah Smith Have Siblings?
Yes. Jeremiah Smith has a younger brother, Angelo, and an older half-sister and half-brother from his father’s earlier relationship.
Angelo Smith is a safety at Chaminade-Madonna, his brother’s old high school. He won a state title there as a sophomore. In September 2025 he committed to Ohio State as part of the 2027 class, as CBS Sports reported.
The brothers probably won’t share a field in Columbus. Jeremiah is expected to leave for the NFL after the 2026 season.
His older half-siblings are not public figures. It was the older brother’s football practices that first got Jeremiah into the game, at the age of three.
How Is Jeremiah Smith Related to Geno Smith?
Jeremiah Smith and NFL quarterback Geno Smith are cousins. Geno’s father is Chris Smith’s older brother, the one who helped raise him.
That uncle also coached Jeremiah in seven-on-seven football with the South Florida Express. He told Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Eisenberg that his nephew’s whole approach to football changed after he was cut.
The family’s sporting history goes back further. FOX Sports names two relatives on Chris’s side: Danny Smith, a Florida State hurdler who ran for the Bahamas at the Olympics, and William Butler Jr., a boxer who fought as Yama Bahama.
What Happened When He Was Cut at Seven?
At seven, after his first tryout, Jeremiah Smith was told he hadn’t made a Miami Gardens youth team. Accounts differ on which one. Yahoo Sports names the Ravens, and FOX Sports names the Vikings.
What followed is not in dispute. He has said the rejection made him hungrier. A year later he made the team and won the league’s top individual award.
His father brought in friends to help. One, a former college receiver, ran weekend hill sprints at a park built on an old landfill. Another taught him route-running and how to read coverages, and said the boy picked up concepts faster than college players he had trained.
Where Did Jeremiah Smith Grow Up?
Jeremiah Smith grew up in Miami Gardens, in South Florida. His family kept him busy on purpose. Besides football he played basketball, ran track and played chess.
His grandmother took him to church. As a small boy he liked toy animals, especially dinosaurs, wolves, elephants and sharks. His cousin Geno remembers a serious child who rarely smiled.
The Miami Gardens Ravens, his youth team, practiced five nights a week. Coaches have said that was partly to keep the players away from violence in the neighborhood. Jeremiah has said that having a father at home gave him a discipline many of his peers didn’t have.
How Did His Family Shape His Career?
The family’s biggest test came on signing day. Jeremiah had committed to Ohio State in 2022. In the final hours before he signed in December 2023, he nearly switched to Miami. His father and uncle talked it through with him, and he signed with the Buckeyes.
He was the top-ranked recruit in the 2024 class. As a freshman he caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, set the national record for receiving yards by a true freshman, and was the most valuable player of the Rose Bowl. Ohio State won the national championship.
In 2025 he had 87 catches for 1,243 yards and was a unanimous All-American.
Another college star with a famous football surname is Arch Manning. Jeremiah’s Ohio State went to Texas and he caught eight passes for 164 yards in September 2026.
What Is Jeremiah Smith Doing Now?
Jeremiah Smith is in his junior season at Ohio State. On September 19, 2026, he broke the school’s career record for receiving yards. A week later against Illinois he had 12 catches, 217 yards and four touchdowns, all career highs.
Through four games of 2026 he had 3,175 career receiving yards and 34 touchdowns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Jeremiah Smith’s parents? Chris Smith, who owns moving and cleaning businesses in South Florida, and Lativia Newberry, who works for the post office.
Does Jeremiah Smith have siblings? Yes. He has a younger brother, Angelo, and an older half-sister and half-brother.
Is Jeremiah Smith related to Geno Smith? Yes. They are cousins. Their fathers are brothers.
Where is Jeremiah Smith from? Miami Gardens, Florida, where he was born on November 29, 2005.
Is Jeremiah Smith’s brother going to Ohio State? Yes. Angelo Smith, a safety, committed to Ohio State’s 2027 class in September 2025.
Does Jeremiah Smith have Bahamian heritage? Yes, through his father’s family.
