Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith boasts one of the top five most lucrative NIL valuations in all of college sports.
In On3’s rankings of the highest player NIL valuations in college sports, the rising junior Smith checked in at No. 5 overall with a massive $5 million valuation.
While Miami (Fla.) quarterback Darian Mensah topped the list with a whopping $6.5 million valuation, he and Smith were just two of three football players on the list, along with Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss at No. 8.
Between Mensah and Smith in the top five were Kentucky transfer forward Milan Momcilovic with $6 million at No. 2, Louisville transfer forward Flory Bidunga with $6 million at No. 3, and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore with $5 million at No. 4.
Rounding out the top 10 were St. John’s transfer forward Tounde Yessoufou at No. 6, Florida forward Thomas Haugh at No. 7, Chambliss at No. 8, Gonzaga transfer center Massamba Diop and Kansas freshman guard Tyran Stokes at No. 10. All athletes ranked No. 4 through No. 10 on the list had a $5 million NIL valuation.
According to Nakos, Smith had an offer of over $10 million to enter the transfer portal, but turned it down to return to Ohio State for his third and likely final season at the college level.
Though retaining arguably the best player in college football didn’t come without a slight tax. Nakos also wrote that “Ohio State has had to pay to keep him in Columbus, but Smith has also excelled in NIL with over 1 million social media followers and brand deals with Red Bull and Adidas, among others.”
The product of Opa Locka (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna, Smith has been nothing short of dominant since stepping foot in Columbus as the top overall prospect in the class of 2024.
Through two seasons with the Buckeyes, Smith has racked up 163 catches for 2,558 yards and 27 receiving touchdowns, to go along with nine carries for 68 yards and two scores on the ground. In that span, he helped Ohio State claim a national championship in 2024, while taking home Big Ten Receiver of the Year in both of his collegiate seasons. He was also named a First-Team All-American in 2024 and a unanimous All-American in 2025.
