Chaminade-Madonna's Jeremiah Smith named winner of 2023 Nat Moore Trophy
MIAMI -- Chaminade-Madonna's Jeremiah Smith is the winner of the 2023 Nat Moore Trophy.
The announcement was made during a special presentation Tuesday night at Hard Rock Stadium.
Over 100 people attended the invite-only event at the stadium, located at 347 Don Shula Drive in Miami Gardens.
Smith, a wide receiver at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory has quite the resume.
He is listed as not only the best in Florida but the best in the country.
Lebron James has even tweeted about him.
Smith has no shortage of viral plays. He makes high-level grabs look routine, with impeccable route running, he's everything a college coach would want.
College Football Report lists him as the number-one player in the country.
"Can't let that get to my head I have bigger goals gotta get through college first and then the NFL, gotta do good there too," says Smith.
His highlight reel speaks for itself. He is everything a college football coach would want, but the legacy he wants to leave isn't just on the field.
"Going down as probably one of the best football players to come out of South Florida but a great person too when I do make it I want to give back to the community I came from and I wanna give back to kids in need and take care of families," says Smith.
He knows the competition in Florida is tough so he puts in the extra work.
"Even when we're not playing football we could be playing basketball and everyone just wants to win. I work hard each and every day in practice to take everything seriously everyone says you don't have to take everything serious but that's just how I am," he adds.
His mentality had gotten him far — a big help with that…playing chess.
"It's. Thinking man's game my dad told me. I wanted to know how to play so he took me to the library and they have free chess boards and you play against elderly people and that's something I've been doing since I was 9 years old," he says.
On the possibility of winning the Nat Moore Trophy, Smith had said, "It'll be good for my legacy. I was excited I saw Kenyatta Jackson win it a few years ago so that was one thing when he won I was like I want that award for sure."
Four students from South Florida schools were vying for the honor, named in honor of the Miami Dolphins player
The students up for the award were Jordan Lyle, a running back at St. Thomas Aquinas High School; Lawayne McCoy, running back at Miami Central Senior High School, Jeremiah Smith and Joshisa Trader, both wide receivers at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory.
Over 13,000 people voted in an online CBSMiami.com poll that asked viewers who should win the prestigious honor.
