Jeremiah Smith may be the face of Ohio State football, but the latest NIL numbers say the Buckeyes are not breaking the bank to keep him there.
On3’s recent valuation list has Smith at $5 million, which puts the Ohio State star fifth among all college athletes and third among football players. He trails Dante Moore and Darian Mensah, and he also comes in behind two basketball players, Milan Momcilovic of Kentucky and Flory Bidunga of Louisville.
That’s a pretty striking place for the country’s most valuable college football player to land, especially after Smith backed up the hype with what he did in 2024 as a freshman. He has already shown he’s the kind of weapon defenses can’t really solve, and programs have spent the offseason trying to pry him away. Ohio State, though, has made sure he’s compensated well without letting one player swallow the whole NIL budget.
That balance appears to be the point. Ryan Day has made it clear he doesn’t want to pour too much NIL money into just a couple of stars. He wants enough flexibility to spread resources around the roster, and the latest valuation list suggests Ohio State has found a setup that works.
The Buckeyes have also managed to keep enough money available for current players while leaving room to attack high school recruiting. Day needed time to get there, but he and Bjork seem to have landed on a sweet spot.
That matters now, too, with Ohio State hoping to stay in the mix for David Gabriel Georges. The Buckeyes are not prepared to match the extreme numbers Tennessee is offering, but they believe they have enough else working in their favor to help them in that race.
As for Smith, Ohio State is expecting one more huge season from him in Scarlet and Gray. He could very well be the guy who pushes the Buckeyes toward another national championship, which would give him a career bookended by titles.
There’s also a late-season showdown with Oregon in Columbus, a chance for Smith to go after Dante Moore. Oregon was blown out by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl in their last meeting in 2024, and Smith had a huge night in that game. There’s every reason to think he’ll be in the middle of it again.
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While in Dallas with the Sky for a game against the Wings, Sheldon spoke publicly about what her time at Ohio State meant to her and what she hopes current players take from it. Her message was rooted in the same kind of program standard that helped define her own run in Columbus, with an emphasis on embracing the grind and staying with the work when the season gets difficult. [Read more 🡒]