Although he is still only a college freshman, Jeremiah Smith already appears to be in line for a staggering payday.
Brad Crawford of 247Sports reported Tuesday on the NIL figure that the Ohio State star wide receiver Smith could command following the team’s CFP national championship victory this week. Crawford writes that the estimated number for the Buckeyes to keep Smith will be north of $3 million (potentially making him the highest-paid non-quarterback throughout all of college football).
The 19-year-old Smith was a first-team All-American as well as the Big Ten Receiver of the Year on the strength of a 2024 campaign where he caught 76 passes for a whopping 1,315 yards and 15 receiving touchdowns. Smith made highlight-reel plays for the Buckeyes all year, and that continued in Monday night’s championship game win over Notre Dame with his five catches for 88 yards and another TD.
Crawford notes that top-rated transfer receiver Eric Singleton is getting $1 million in NIL money from Auburn and also mentions the ridiculous sum that QB Carson Beck got to transfer from Georgia to Miami. Thus, it is a no-brainer for Ohio State (with their sizable athletic budget) to pay the highly marketable Smith rather than risk him transferring or even sitting out for a period of time before becoming draft-eligible.
