In the NIL era of college football, no one is off limits when it comes to a possible transfer — not even a player who could be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft.
Ohio State superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith addressed some offseason transfer and NIL rumors recently and, to no one’s surprise, 1 team kept coming up over and over again — even if Smith wouldn’t say exactly who it was.
“Jeremiah Smith was asked about the offers he may have received this offseason to leave Ohio State,” Ohio State reporter Dillon Davis wrote on X. “He said there was never a moment he considered leaving, although he wasn’t surprised to see a certain program make a big push.”
Smith alluded to the school that made the biggest play for him being the University of Miami after the Hurricanes ended Ohio State’s season in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
“I knew especially at the end of that game that a certain program was going to come at me very hard,” Smith said. “Not gonna say no names, I think everybody here knows who it was. But I wasn’t goin’ nowhere.”
Jeremiah Smith: Once in a Lifetime WR Recruit
When trying to qualify exactly what kind of an NFL prospect Jeremiah Smith is, please consider there is a real chance he’s selected No. 1 overall in the 2027 NFL draft, which would make him the first wide receiver to go No. 1 overall since USC’s Keyshawn Johnson was selected by the New York Jets with the top pick in 1996.
Smith, 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds, was the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2024 out of Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Hollywood, Florida, where he was the highest-rated wide receiver recruit in the modern recruiting era — essentially dating back to 2000.
During Smith’s senior year of high school, 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins projected Smith as a future 1st round pick and compared him to 5-time NFL All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones — the No. 6 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft.
“One of the top prospects to come out of South Florida in the modern recruiting era and the type of wide receiver that will give opposing defenses fits given the rare combination of his size, speed and hands,” Ivins wrote in 2024. ” … He’s the safest bet in the 2024 cycle and a future playmaker for a College Football Playoff contender that can handle a high volume of targets. Will need to keep perfecting his craft, but should see the field early on in his collegiate career and then eventually suit up on Sundays as a Day 1 selection.”
Jeremiah Smith’s Incredible NIL Value
There is a good chance Smith will have made close to $20 million once his college career inevitably ends following the 2026 season and he’s finally eligible for the NFL draft.
According to On3, Smith has an NIL valuation of $4.2 million for the 2026 season.
Through his first 2 seasons at Ohio State, Smith has 163 receptions for 2,558 yards and 29 total touchdowns in 29 games. He’s also a 2-time All-American, 2-time Big Ten Receiver of the Year, and led the Buckeyes to a College Football Playoff as a freshman in 2024.
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