Ever since the Natty game, Mario Cristobal has been taking in other painful losses. More than 18 players entered the portal within three to four days of the loss, and 10+ are heading to the draft. To make it even worse, the Miami head honcho lost three ‘next-in-line’ players to their rivals. And somehow, Jeremiah Smith seems oddly optimistic about it all.

On January 26, PackPower247 took to X to announce the transfer of one of Jeremiah Smith’s childhood friends: “NC State football has landed another commit in Miami transfer wideout Joshisa ‘Jojo’ Trader out of the portal.”

This is possible because of the the special five-day portal window available to players on teams that played deep into January. Miami and Indiana players have a period between Jan. 20-24 to enter the portal and try to get on another team. Within minutes of the news being put out, Jeremiah Smith hopped onto IG with a cryptic message that sounded like hope: “🤞🏾”

Jeremiah Smith and Jojo Trader grew up playing together at Chaminade-Madonna in Florida. They’ve been best buddies since they were 11. He even described him as the ‘best duo to ever come out of South Florida’ and even a ‘little blood brother’ after their senior season of high school. However, fate had other plans. Jojo went to Miami, and Jeremiah took his talents to Columbus.

They even shared the stage during this year’s Cotton Bowl. Smith encouraged Trader to “stay the course” and “keep your head down” in the post-game. Needless to say, Jeremiah has Jojo’s best interests at heart.

While he didn’t say exactly how he felt, his “🤞🏾” emojis and short posts had everyone wondering whether he was hinting that the chance of him and his homie playing together remains impossible. Plus, for one hot minute, some fans expected Jojo to join the Buckeyes. Guess that’s not happening. At the end of the day, it’s obvious Jeremiah Smith was just delighted for his childhood best friend.

Trader had signed with the Hurricanes as one of their highest-upside offensive recruits in 2024. According to 247Sports, he was listed as the No. 70 player nationally and the No. 14 wide receiver in the 2024 class.

However, the positive news is he’s joining his high school buddy, quarterback CJ Bailey, up in Raleigh. The most probable reason for this departure is that he didn’t see much field time this season: just 13 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown. Even as a a true freshman in 2024, Trader played in seven games and had six catches for 91 yards with a touchdown. The wide receiver room at Miami also looks to be stacked for next season, and some say it’s way better than their 2025 campaign.

Cristobal is attempting to patch the holes with portal additions like former Gamecock Vandrevius Jacobs and West Virginia’s Cam Vaughn, but with a crowded depth chart, it’s clear why a player like Trader would seek opportunities elsewhere. The Hurricanes are expected to secure Cooper Barkate from Duke. Malachi Toney will serve as the primary WR1, while Joshua Moore and Daylyn Upshaw will compete for the WR2 position.

It’s safe to say Jojo Trader doesn’t have a shot to be WR3 on that roster. So he took a leap of faith and hit the portal to NC State, hoping for greener pastures elsewhere. However, he isn’t the only one heading to Raleigh.

Joining him is Chance Robinson, who saw limited action in just one game this year. Even linebacker Raul Aguirre Jr. Aguirre is taking his talents there. He was a significant part of the rotation, playing in all 16 games and racking up a career-best 43 tackles, including five against his new team, NC State, back in November.

Jeremiah should be happy for his friends being able to get more playing time on the field, but he has his own tests coming up ahead. Majorly, adjusting to the new OC in the building.

Jeremiah Smith’s role in Arthur Smith’s offense

While fans know Smith loves a “ground and pound” style that focuses heavily on the run, this is actually great news for Jeremiah Smith. In Arthur Smith’s system, the run game is used to suck in the defense, which sets up massive “home run” plays through the air.

Jeremiah, who is already a superstar with 2,558 career yards and 27 touchdowns, is the perfect deep threat to punish teams once they commit too many players to stopping the run.

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You can expect Jeremiah to be treated like an NFL “alpha” receiver, similar to how Arthur Smith used guys like A.J. Brown and Julio Jones in the past. Even though the offense might throw the ball fewer times overall, a sizeable chunk of those passes will be forced directly to Jeremiah. Arthur has also been known to use big bodies like TE Jonnu Smith in his offensive packages. Jeremiah with his size and strength can also end up being used in unique ways apart from the standard WR role.

He’s coming off a monster 2025 season where he caught 87 passes for over 1,200 yards. And as the undisputed #1 target next year, his “target share” might actually go up. He’s basically the ultimate weapon that makes the whole run-heavy scheme work. The most exciting part is how he’ll be used in the red zone and on play-action shots.

Jeremiah is a physical mismatch who can out-muscle any defender. This new offense is designed to put him in one-on-one situations where he can dominate. Even with a more conservative coach, Jeremiah is definitely going to be the favorite to win the Biletnikoff. The star athlete may even contend for the Heisman if everything goes right with this Arthur Smith hire.