Destiny never took LeBron James toward the path of American Football. He did receive two offers during his high school days and even admitted two years ago that “Yeah, yeah, I still got the itch to play. I got the itch, man.” Despite this, he continues to be an NFL aficionado, occasionally booting up the latest edition of Madden or cheering for the teams and his favorite players during the regular season. Having developed a liking for college football as well, the ongoing Ohio State vs Western Michigan matchup is drawing the hooper’s attention, compelling him to cheer on with a rising star with whom he might share a history.

Earlier today, the 39-year-old Laker shared Jeremiah Smith’s highlights from the footballer’s ongoing game. The clip featured the 18-year-old capturing a quick pass and sprinting right across the field while the rest of his Michigan rivals chased. Fortunately, none of them were able to match Smith’s ferocious speed, and he easily reached the end to score a touchdown. The action extended the Buckeyes’ streak to 4 consecutive seasons with a completion of over 70 yards. LeBron couldn’t help but be impressed at what he saw, adding a caption alongside the clip on Instagram that read “BEAST!!”, accompanied by two ‘quiet’ emojis.

Believe it or not, LeBron James and Jeremiah Smith have been linked before, despite belonging to different fields. Back in November 2023, when the football player was still spending his time at the Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School, another one of his gameplays caught the 4x NBA champion’s attention. He instantly put out a tweet stating, “Can’t wait to see him in Scarlet & Gray.” Lo and behold, Jeremiah Smith ended up being picked by Ohio State! Whether this was a coincidence, or King James somehow unintentionally influenced the decision, is a question shrouded in mystery.

However, being proud of the fact that he can call Akron, Ohio his birthplace and hometown, the basketball player may have simply been rooting for his home state to get one of the best talents present on the football field.

Currently enjoying his off-season after a somewhat disappointing NBA season but an excellent Gold Medal run at the Olympics, football has once again kept the player’s mind occupied. It was just yesterday when he was cheering for new Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, someone who has shown mutual respect to LeBron over the last few years. Before that, he sat down for an interview with DraftKings Sportsbook, revealing his picks for Super Bowl LIX. While he did give a shoutout to the Ravens and the 49ers, he provided a somewhat diplomatic answer about the final score, since he “don’t want to be on somebody’s bad terms.”

With the main league games not being enough, as it seems, the Lakers star has now also taken to rooting for the Ohio State Buckeyes, which has produced some great NFL players like Lou Groza, Eddie George, Orlando Pace, etc. With any luck, Jeremiah Smith may also make that list. After all, the college player’s dominance level has already earned him a comparison with LeBron himself!

Jeremiah Smith reminds former Browns Quarterback of LeBron James: “Don’t want this to sound like an overstatement”

By April 2024, Jeremiah Smith had already created a steady reputation for himself. According to Maxpreps, during his initial 11 high school games, he had made 68 catches for 1083 receiving yards, along with 16 touchdowns. That number would later be increased to 19 touchdowns and 1389 receiving yards within 14 games. For former Cleveland Browns Quarterback Brady Quinn, Smith’s stats gave him a somewhat déjà vu, reminding him of a star he knew during his school days.

During a segment covering the Buckeyes’ Spring practice, the former NFL player went on to state, “I don’t want this to sound like an overstatement talking about Jeremiah Smith. But I live in the south Florida area. I had the chance to go watch him play at Chaminade Madonna. And it really reminded me of another guy in my class coming out of high school: LeBron James.”

“That’s how dominant he was. That’s how so many years ahead of most young men (he is) at this age. I know what comes from that statement. But I know this young man is going to tear up college football,” Brady Quinn concluded.

While Quinn went on to play for Notre Dame, he did spend his high school days in Dublin, Ohio, just 123.2 miles away from LeBron James’ hometown of Akron. Ironically, when LeBron still contemplated giving football a chance, one of the offers he received was from Notre Dame itself, with wide receivers coach Urban Meyer extending him a full football scholarship in 2000.

After all, he was coming off a sophomore football season in which he scored 42 receptions for 820 yards along with seven touchdowns. LeBron may have not gotten to live his NFL dream. However, he can see it flourish through Jeremiah Smith as the latter continues to rapidly progress through his college career.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.