Growing up in the shadow of a brother who is already an All-American and someone who has been a star of EA Sports College Football 26 could be daunting. For some, that shadow might feel heavy. Angelo doesn’t see it that way. He said once, “I feel like I’m gonna be a better player than him.” Maybe this mindset is what has teams lining up for him. He got offers from Georgia State, Toledo, and Miami, but that changed when Smith went to the Buckeyes’ one-day camp, and his performance earned him an offer just that day. He committed to OSU in September, following his brother’s footsteps, but after the safety’s commitment, others are lining up for him. 

After Angelo’s commitment to Ohio State, he has received offers from USF, Stanford, FIU, and UTEP. Now, the 2027 OSU commit has received an offer from Will Stein’s Kentucky. Angelo also took to X to announce the offer and wrote, “Kentucky offered🙏🏾.” His OSU star brother, Jeremiah Smith, also took note of the offer and acknowledged it with a simple “🙏🏾” emoji on X.

Kentucky seems interesting since it’s Angelo’s first SEC offer, and it might make him think twice about his OSU commitment. Under the new head coach, Will Stein, the Wildcats have managed to land just two 2027 commits and might steal young Smith away from Ryan Day.

Jeremiah’s younger brother is also a rising star in the 2027 cycle. The 5’8″ and 167 lbs two-way player is working on his frame and is the 61st-ranked safety in Florida. Not just that, Angelo’s track and field background backs his case to bring Jeremiah Smith-esque athleticism. Never mind that the young prodigy is already putting in elite performances.

In his sophomore season, the Chamiande-Madonna Prep player helped his team win the Sunshine State 1A championship. Moreover, he also notched 40 tackles, 11 PBUs, and 3 interceptions in doing that. Interestingly, Jeremiah Smith also attended the same high school, and Angelo has learned a lot from his elder brother. That should give Angelo the required confidence in his recruitment.

“A lot, man,” Angelo said about how much he learned from Jeremiah Smith. “Watching him work, I definitely want to be better than him, I know that. “I feel like I’m gonna be a better player than him, I know that.” Considering the attention Angelo is getting now, it’s not far-fetched to assume he has the same talent Jeremiah showcased in his freshman year.

Apart from Kentucky, the USF Bulls are reportedly also after Angelo. OSU’s former WRs coach Brian Hartline became the team’s head coach, and that was enough nudge for the program to pursue Angelo aggressively. The Hollywood, Florida native received an offer from the program on December 20, and Angelo himself has spoken glowingly of Brian Hartline during his OSU visits.

Jeremiah Smith opens up about his younger brother, Angelo

Jeremiah Smith’s OSU legacy is already off to a phenomenal start. The elder Smith is already a two-time All-American. Moreover, the 6’3″ and 223 lbs WR already has more receiving yards (2,558) than any other player in America in the past two years. Right from illustrious NIL deals ranging from Redbull and Adidas to featuring on the cover of EA Sports College Football 26, Jeremiah’s popularity is unprecedented. Due to that, often people see his younger brother, Angelo, with the same ‘hype’ lens.

However, Jeremiah Smith just wants Angelo to go through his recruitment just like any other player. Smith is also helping Angelo in that regard. “Very proud of him, can’t really speak too much on that yet, but I’m very proud of him being a Buckeye,” Jeremiah said after his younger brother committed to OSU. “He just called me out of the blue and said he was going to do it. I was hype for him. I was like, ‘OK, let’s do it.”

Angelo still has a lot of time in his 2027 recruitment, and his brother’s OSU legacy will likely keep him put in Columbus. “It would just be a legacy,” Angelo said about playing at OSU. “And hopefully, if I have kids, they come here as well, so it’d be great.” Despite that, with programs like Kentucky and USF pushing hard, ruling out a flip entirely won’t be prudent either.