Back to the Ohio State Buckeyes Newsfeed

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame | Irish linebacker Jaylon Smith didn't follow brother Rod's path to OSU

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — If he was content with a familiar road, Jaylon Smith probably would be playing for Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame.

Smith, however, is always pondering possibilities, unafraid to search beyond what he knows.

So it is on Jan. 1 that Smith will be playing against OSU, the school that he said was his second choice in recruiting, even though his older brother, Rod, played for the Buckeyes from 2011 to ’14.

“He loved it (at OSU). That was his dream school, but I needed to follow my own path,” Smith said.