If you saw that headline on your feed, you probably believed it for a second. That is exactly what happened when Ohio State’s star wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, got pulled into a viral post that looked like real news. On July 8, sports satire creator Shane Tuttle posted on X that Smith was playing the season for zero dollars in NIL money, all because he supposedly wanted the team to spend that cash on other players to win a national championship. It sounded like the ultimate team-first story.

“I want to win another National Championship. I figured that money could be used to make our team stronger in other areas,” said Jeremiah Smith, as per Shane Tuttle’s X post.

Smith’s quote sounded perfect until Tuttle’s bio revealed the satire. The post had already hit almost 9K likes and 3.4 million views within little to no time. However, within a day, Jeremiah Smith found it hilarious and reposted Shane Tuttle’s satirical post, tweeting, “Huh????”

This wasn’t even the first time Shane Tuttle targeted Jeremiah with a prank. The same satire account previously made a fake graphic claiming Jeremiah was entering the transfer portal to leave Ohio State for Miami. Not going to lie, that had Buckeye fans on the ropes.

If you look at Tuttle’s actual profile, his bio clearly warns everyone that everything he posts is pure satire. But on social media, nobody actually clicks on the profile to check. He creates pretty professional-looking graphics that literally resemble real sports news outlets like ESPN or 247Sports. His bio says, “Everything I do is satire.” A lot of folks overlook it. Since they looked so authentic, the fake quotes spread like wildfire and fooled thousands of casual football fans who took this as factual news. Another one you need to keep an eye on is No. 3, which is the straight satire page of On3.

Smith’s actual NIL valuation sits around $4.2 million, which is far from zero. The Biletnikoff Award finalist signed a historic partnership with Red Bull, becoming the first-ever college athlete to get his own custom energy drink can. On top of that, he has a couple of sponsorship deals with household names like Adidas, Nintendo, and apparently Lululemon. Partnerships with Red Bull, Adidas, Nintendo, and Lululemon add up to generational wealth.

This is why satire accounts thrive. College football moves so fast, so wild headlines feel plausible. College football is moving so fast right now, and the money is so crazy that almost any wild headline sounds like it could be true. Jeremiah Smith is staying loyal to Ohio State and chasing a championship. But he is definitely getting paid millions of dollars to do it.

Jeremiah Smith might need a wingman this season

Since joining the Buckeyes, Smith has been outstanding as a wide receiver. Ahead of the upcoming campaign, Jeremiah Smith has been dubbed the greatest returning WR in college football with a 90.8 PFF grade. However, things may not be as easy as it seems.

In his first season, Smith had talented teammates like Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate playing alongside him. Opposing defenses could not focus solely on Smith, which helped him make many big plays during games.

This year, Ohio State has several young receivers who have not yet proven themselves. Players like Brandon Inniss, Kyle Parker, Devin McCuin, and Chris Henry Jr. will need to improve quickly. If one or two of them become reliable targets, the offense will be much stronger and more difficult to stop.

Smith cannot do everything by himself. If defenses double-team or even triple-team him every week, it will be much harder for him to make big plays. Ohio State needs other receivers to make catches and get some pressure off his shoulders.

If everything goes well, Ohio State could compete for another championship and enjoy a successful season. If the young receivers struggle, the coaches will have to find creative ways to help the offense. No matter what happens, Buckeye fans should enjoy watching Jeremiah Smith because this is expected to be his final season at Ohio State before he begins his professional football career.