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COLUMBUS, Ohio – When Jeremiah Smith ventured north to Ohio State out of Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Hollywood, Florida, he wasn’t chasing the money.
The same goes for this past offseason when Miami, among others, made inquiries about luring him away with the NIL version of a pot of gold.
“No reason to go back home, not when I’m at the best place in the country,” Smith told On3 on Tuesday. “I came to Ohio State for a reason, to win championships, develop as a player and a person and keep building on this legacy.
“I might have grown up in South Florida, but I’m a Buckeye. That’s not changing. I wasn’t going anywhere.”
But in full transparency, had Smith genuinely been chasing the money during this recent portal cycle – even in this era when teenagers are becoming instant millionaires – his number would have been staggering.
“Over 10 million dollars, easy,” Smith said, smiling. “But that’s not how I operate.”
Miami wasn’t the only school making a push for Smith, who never entered the portal. He said the calls started coming in as soon as Ohio State beat Notre Dame in the national championship game to cap his freshman season in 2024.
“Teams were telling my agent they had a certain amount of money for me to come there,” Smith said.
And then this January, the numbers only skyrocketed after Ohio State lost to Miami in the second round of the College Football Playoff.
“Just because they beat us and things went their way, I wasn’t going back home,” Smith said. “I mean, you hear the numbers and everything. But to be honest, it didn’t make sense for me to go back. I have a good quarterback here. I have a good group of teammates here. A lot of people came back, so it would look stupid for me to go there, and we have a team here that’s already built.”
Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he had several conversations with Smith’s family and agent during that period, and while there’s always some concern about a player of his caliber jumping into the portal, it was obvious to Day that his star receiver was never looking to leave.
“He thinks big. He understands what this place is and what comes with it,” Day said. “His family is great, and I think there’s a lot of trust there from when he was recruited to where we are now. Everything we said we were going to do, we did. That’s important when you’re dealing with people who value relationships. If it’s just about money, then when more money comes in, guess what’s going to happen? They’re going to walk out the door.
“Jeremiah’s family values relationships, and they knew it wasn’t just about him on the field. There’s a lot that comes with being an elite athlete, and I really feel strongly that we major in developing the elite athlete at Ohio State, not just on the field.”
Smith is already one of the highest-paid athletes in college football. He has outside deals with Red Bull, Adidas and KeyBank over and above what he collects from Ohio State. Smith is also keenly aware of how well Buckeyes’ receivers have cashed in at the next level. They’ve had receivers taken in the first round in each of the past four drafts, including two first-rounders in 2021, and Carnell Tate is projected to go in the first round of the 2026 draft later this month.
Two different NFL scouts told On3 that Smith would have been a solid No. 1 overall on their draft boards had he been eligible for this draft and would have been a strong consideration for the No. 1 spot after his freshman season.
The 6-3, 225-pound Smith has more receiving yards (2,558) and receiving touchdowns (27) than anyone in the country over the past two seasons. His teammate, safety Jaylen McClain, calls Smith “an alien.”
That’s because there aren’t many people, period, walking the planet with that kind of size, speed, strength and athleticism, not to mention the body control to go up and make contested catches that have become their own highlight reels.
“You see him in the games. We see him every day in practice, and he does things that you’re just like, ‘Wow,’” McClain said.
Smith said he was 208 pounds when he arrived at Ohio State, and as a freshman, was clocked at 23.4 miles per hour and did 20 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench-press.
“And I haven’t lost any speed,” Smith said with conviction.
That’s one of the many things his teammates and coaches love about him. He’s supremely confident, but not necessarily cocky unless someone triggers him or dares to think they can defend him with man coverage.
“He’s quiet and humble, but knows he can beat you one-on-one any time and will tell you, especially if somebody says something to him,” Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin said. “If they do, he’s going to say something back. His competitiveness rubs off on not only the other guys in the receiver room, but everybody on the team.”
Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Ohio State’s redshirt senior defensive end, has known Smith since they were kids. They played high school football together at Chaminade-Madonna Prep. So nothing Smith does on the field surprises Jackson.
“It’s like you try to put a ceiling on him, but you really can’t put a ceiling on him. It’s limitless for him,” Jackson said. “He gets better each and every day, and you’re like, ‘How does somebody that good get better each and every day?’ He’s a special player and will go down as one of the greatest football players that ever played this game. I really believe that.”
Smith hears such lofty praise and chuckles, at least inwardly.
“I haven’t even won any (national) individual awards yet,” he joked. “I gotta win at least one before I leave here. I got a natty and want another one of those.”
Despite his gaudy numbers, Smith has failed to win the Biletnikoff Award each of the past two seasons. He was sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting last year.
If you were to poll coaches around the country – this year or last year – they would almost unanimously tell you that Smith would be their top pick if they had a choice of any player in the country.
Smith nods in agreement.
“I feel like everybody in the world would take me in a heartbeat. Nobody in college football is better than me when I’m at my best,” said Smith, who was the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 Rivals Industry rankings. “I don’t think people would even think about who they would take if it was up for grabs. I think everybody knows who the best player in college football is, and it’s Jeremiah Smith. That might sound cocky, but I’m confident in myself and know the work I’ve put in, what I’ve put on film and the way I play the game.”
Smith was the first true freshman in Ohio State history in 2024 to earn an Iron Buckeye award, which goes to Ohio State players who exhibit elite dedication, discipline, toughness and leadership in the weight room during the offseason. He won it again in 2025 and this year.
“Jeremiah won the genetic lottery. There’s no question about that,” Day said. “But sometimes the more talented you are, the less disciplined or skilled you are. He has all three of those things, and that started with a mindset when he was young, growing up with his family and then the skills that he’s learned over time. One thing about him is he hates to lose, and I mean he hates to lose. And then two, he practices his tail off. I tell our younger players, ‘You want to know what being elite looks like? Look at Jeremiah. He’s the best player in the country. Look at how he practices every day. Look at his mindset. Look at his seriousness. Look at the decisions he makes off the field.’
“That’s the kind of culture we want.”
There are very few ready-made players in football, and even though some have speculated that Smith could have gone straight from high school to the NFL and made an impact, he’s not ready to go that far.
“I can’t say that. I still needed development out of high school,” Smith said. “It was a big shock to me when I got here because in high school, they just lined me up on one side of the field and told me what my route was. Coming here, I had to learn different formations. They moved me around a lot, and I learned a lot, just how to play the position and how to adjust to what a defense is trying to do.”
But physically?
“Yeah, I could have done it (gone straight to the NFL),” Smith said. “It just would have been a big learning curve.”
Believe it or not, once upon a time, Smith was cut from his youth league team while playing in the famed South Florida neighborhood leagues. He started playing when he was 4. His first team was the Miami Gardens Ravens, or as he says, “the Purple Machine.”
He then went on to play for the Miami Gardens Vikings, but his youth career briefly ended when he was cut.
“I missed a scrimmage and came back the next day, and the coach said, ‘You’re off the team,’ which was crazy,” Smith recounted.
Asked if he remembered the coach’s name, Smith said, “No, not really, but I remember what he looked like.”
As much as Jackson admires the way his old high school teammate has performed on the field, Jackson said Smith’s ability to navigate the spotlight and pressure of being a can’t-miss prospect coming out of high school has been just as impressive.
“I mean, think about the expectations that have been put on his shoulders going back to high school,” Jackson said. “He’s never shied away from any of it.
He’s got his head on straight in a great program and a lot of good people around him.”
Jackson said he never even had a conversation with Smith earlier this year when Miami was making its push.
“When we didn’t end things the way we wanted to last year, after that loss, he’s not that guy who’s going to say, ‘Oh, this team beat me. I’m going to join them,’” Jackson said. “Nah, that’s not him, so there was nothing really to talk about.”
When Day is asked for a comparison to Smith and the hype that has surrounded him since high school, he brings up LeBron James.
“I say LeBron because it’s hard to have a comparison to Jeremiah as a football player,” Day said. “He’s just unique.”
But hardly finished or a finished product.
Smith wants to be a better after-the-catch receiver this season. Of his 1,273 receiving yards a year ago, 378 came after the catch. Miami’s Malachi Toney led all FBS receivers with 841 yards after the catch, according to Pro Football Focus.
“I’ve got to be more explosive with the ball in my hands, that and getting better with my football IQ,” Smith said. “Those are two things this year that I’m going to focus on.”
A Heisman Trophy would also be nice and maybe even the Biletnikoff Award. But more than anything, Smith wants to do something that hasn’t been done at Ohio State since 2014.
And that’s win a national championship, Big Ten championship and beat That Team Up North, aka Michigan, all in the same season.
“That’s why you come to Ohio State,” Smith said. “It’s the best decision I’ve ever made, but there’s still some unfinished business.”
