From ON3:
“It came down to the last two minutes,” Smith said. “Either I stay home or I go to Ohio State. It was a close call, but I just went with my gut feeling and I just chose Ohio State. It was a close call. The things (Miami) did this year with the offensive side of the ball, receiver play, you’ve got great coaches there. I know a lot of those coaches there. My family knows a lot of the coaches there. If I chose to go to Miami, I know I would have been straight on and off the field for sure.”
“They were recruiting me real hard,” Smith said. “It was a close call between Miami and Ohio State. That’s all I can say. But I wish those guys the best of luck. I want to see those guys at the top. We all three are going to be first-round draft picks for sure.”
Smith held his breath for a moment at the table before pulling an Ohio State hat out of his bag and formally signing his National Letter of Intent. He emphasized he only holds love for the Hurricanes.
Smith looked visibly stressed in the moments before announcing his decision, and Miami’s no-holds-barred push made this a far tighter race in the final moments than it had been for much of the year.