When Ohio State and Miami collide in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on New Year’s Eve, the matchup will feature two of college football’s most electrifying underclassmen wide receivers. And it features arguably the best freshman from each of the past two seasons. But the storyline runs deeper than statistics – it’s a tale of two South Florida stars who took different paths, yet both ended up center stage in a game shadowed by a controversial clash their teams had before either was born.
The Road Home and Away
Jeremiah Smith
was born on November 29, 2005 in Miami Gardens, Florida, just miles from Hard Rock Stadium where the Hurricanes play their home games. The nation’s top recruit in the 2024 class, Smith had Miami among his final options but ultimately chose Columbus over staying home. Now, with 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns in his sophomore campaign, the Ohio State star faces familiar faces from his home state and does so as one of college football’s most dominant forces.
Meanwhile, Malachi Toney attended American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida and chose the University of Miami, staying true to his South Florida roots. Even though he’s two years younger than Smith as he was born September 17, 2007, Toney does not exhibit an age gap at all. And not only did Toney make the decision to stay home, but he re-classified and should still be playing high school opponents. Nonetheless, that choice has paid immediate dividends. Toney has 89 receptions for 992 yards and 8 touchdowns in his first season, becoming Miami’s all-time single-season reception leader – and has been dynamic in many areas for the Canes.
Freshman Brilliance on Display
Both receivers burst onto the college football scene as true freshmen (with Toney re-classifying a year earlier), but their paths diverged slightly in timing and opportunity.
Smith’s 2024 freshman season was historic. Over 16 games, he had 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns during his first year, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Receiver of the Year honors. His playoff performance cemented his legacy early, as he hauled in multiple touchdowns in Ohio State’s march to a national championship. Against Tennessee in his first playoff game, Smith announced his arrival with authority, scoring twice in a dominant performance that proved the bright lights only made him shine brighter.
Toney’s 2025 season has been equally remarkable, if not more so – which is saying a lot for how generational Smith looked his freshman year. Toney enrolled at the University of Miami in 2025 and entered his true freshman season as a starting wide receiver, having reclassified from the 2026 recruiting class. He literally skipped his senior year of high school, starting college at just 17 years old, an age when most players are still preparing for prom. Toney has not been as much of a pure dominant receiver as Smith but has been much more dynamic. Over less games than Smith (13), Toney has more receptions (89) and 992 yards and eight receiving touchdowns, along with 20 rushing attempts for 98 yards and one touchdown, shattering Miami’s freshman records – as well as punt return prowess. Oh and two passing touchdowns. Miami has utilized Toney in Wildcat packages and trick plays.
In Miami’s playoff victory over Texas A&M, Toney showed the resilience that defines great players. After fumbling late in the game, Toney redeemed himself with a tiebreaking 11-yard touchdown shovel pass scamper – the lone touchdown of the defensive battle – with less than two minutes left to send the Hurricanes to the Cotton Bowl.
By the Numbers
Jeremiah Smith’s 2024 Freshman Season:
- 16 games, 76 receptions, 1,315 yards, 15 touchdowns
- 17.3 yards per catch
- Big Ten Freshman and Receiver of the Year
- National Champion
Malachi Toney’s 2025 Freshman Season (so far):
- 89 receptions, 992 yards, 8 touchdowns
- 11.1 yards per catch
- ACC Rookie of the Year
- Set Miami single-season reception record
Both receivers shattered their respective conference freshman records and established themselves as future stars. Smith averaged more yards per catch and scored more touchdowns, while Toney led the nation in receptions among freshmen and showed remarkable versatility as a receiver, rusher, punt returner, and even quarterback.
As recruits, Smith was the number one recruit in the nation, truly a can’t miss prospect. Toney on the other hand was overlooked, although he did receive offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, and Georgia, among others, but was a three-star recruit, 359th in the nation and 47th in Florida.
Comparing the two – or even talking about them in the same sentence – before this season began would seem like an extreme stretch.
Smith, who belongs in a category entirely separated from five-star wideouts – the kind of long, explosive prospect with a catch radius much beyond his 6’3” frame and playing like a veteran tracking the ball effortlessly, and made fans quickly forget about the generational talent who left a year before in Marvin Harrison Jr.
Toney impressed throughout offseason camp. Toney immediately burst on the scene with a slippery and electric style of play comparable to Tyreek Hill. His ability to turn a five-yard screen pass into a nifty fifty yard play, and creating a defensive crisis. Smith dominates outside the numbers while Toney controls the interior by finding soft spots and winning leverage by exploding through space. Toney has become the x-factor and spark plug that makes the the “Mali-cat” wildcat formation thrive.
They’re polar opposites, but both from South Florida and dominating, and that’s what makes them fascinating.
A Ghost from 2003
The Cotton Bowl matchup carries extra weight because of what happened the last time these programs met in the postseason. Ohio State and Miami played in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, which served as the BCS national championship game on January 3, 2003. Neither Smith nor Toney had been born yet or even a thought – Smith wouldn’t arrive until 2005 and Toney 2007.
As we all know, the game itself became one of the most controversial in college football history. Miami cornerback Glenn Sharpe was called for pass interference on a fourth-down play in overtime, giving Ohio State new life when the game appeared to be over. The Buckeyes capitalized on the penalty, scoring to force a second overtime and eventually winning 31-24 to claim the national title.
Miami fans have never forgotten. The disputed call – thrown several seconds after the incomplete pass hit the ground – remains a source of resentment more than two decades later. Smith has clearly noticed the discourse surrounding that fateful night in Tempe. The star receiver didn’t mince words when addressing Miami’s lingering pain from the loss.
“You see it all over the internet, all over Twitter,” Smith said. “They’re still talking about that 20 years later. They still worry about it. But we’ve got something coming for them New Year’s Eve.”
It’s a bold statement from a player who has made bold plays his calling card. Smith is telling Miami that while they’ve been dwelling on the past for two decades, he and his teammates are focused on creating a new chapter of Ohio State dominance over the Hurricanes.
Smith and Toney Already Acquainted
The Cotton Bowl won’t be the first time these two South Florida stars have shared a field. In fact, it will be the third time. They first met in 2022, where Smith’s 3-0 Chaminade-Madonna faced Toney’s 4-0 American Heritage. In that matchup, Toney only had two receptions for 36 yards, but both were scores. Smith countered with three receptions for 100 yards and an 85-yard touchdown leading Chaminade-Madonna to a 42-34 victory.
The following year, Smith’s Chaminade-Madonna faced Toney’s American Heritage in September 2023 again in an early season battle of undefeated teams (3-0 Chaminade vs. 2-0 American Heritage), when Smith was a senior and Toney was just a sophomore. Chaminade-Madonna won that matchup 28-16, with Smith hauling in two touchdown passes on six receptions for 83 yards. Toney was completely shutdown only catching three passes for six yards.
They met again in September 2024, after Smith had already left for Columbus, but the rivalry between the Broward County powerhouses has given both receivers a taste of what high-stakes South Florida football feels like. They may be wearing different colors now, but they’re no strangers to the intensity of facing elite competition from their own backyard.
Young Blood, Old Grudges
What makes this Cotton Bowl compelling is the collision of fresh talent with ancient grievances. Smith and Toney were toddlers or not yet born when that controversial flag flew in Tempe, Arizona (yet Smith is using it as chalkboard material). They don’t carry the baggage of 2003, but they’ll help write the next chapter.
For Smith, it’s a chance to dominate against many of his home state foes and against the team he could have joined. For Toney, it’s an opportunity to show that staying home was the right choice and to help Miami advance deeper into a playoff run than the program has reached in decades (maybe even to allure Smith for his final season – seriously imagine Toney and Smith teamed up).
The 2003 Fiesta Bowl shaped the trajectories of both programs. Ohio State went 103-24 following that victory with multiple Big Ten titles, while Miami went 77-48 in the years after. Now, with two generational South Florida talents leading their offenses, both programs have a chance to redefine their recent histories. For Miami, it’s a chance at redemption, as they have lost numerous recruiting battles to out-of-state teams, including the Buckeyes (Cameron Underwood wrote an article focused on this premise). For Ohio State, it’s a chance to remind the country why receivers like Smith keep choosing Columbus, even in spite of losing Brian Hartline as they also feature star receiver Carnell Tate who should be an early draft pick in 2026, much like Smith and their predecessors Terry McLaurin, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Emeka Egbuka.
On December 31, the ghosts of 2003 will hover over AT&T Stadium, but the game will belong to two underclassmen who weren’t alive to see it. One from Miami Gardens who left, one from Broward who stayed – both ready to prove they’re the best receiver in the nation. It is a glimpse into the future not only for Smith and Toney who should have long careers, but to revive the Miami-Ohio State rivalry.
GO CANES!
