Ohio State’s star wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, is already one of the highest-paid athletes in the country. He has NIL deals lined up with giants like Adidas, Red Bull, and KeyBank. Yet, teams thought they could sway Smith into entering the portal by throwing more money. That’s not exactly how the wide receiver “operates.”

“Teams were telling my agent they had a certain amount of money for me to come there,” Smith said to On3. “Over 10 million dollars, easy. But that’s not how I operate. No reason to go back home, not when I’m at the best place in the country. I came to Ohio State for a reason, to win championships, develop as a player and a person, and keep building on this legacy.”

Jeremiah Smith was one of the main reasons Ohio State won the 2024 national title. Before the confetti from the Natty could settle, Smith’s agent started getting calls. However, Ryan Day knew such a thing could happen. The OSU head coach was in touch with Jeremiah’s agent and his father. He delivered what he promised to Smith’s camp: A natty and also a lucrative NIL deal. On top of it, he knew Smith was mature enough not to ditch Ohio State, the WR-U.

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“He thinks big. He understands what this place is and what comes with it,” Ryan 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.”

Smith’s NIL valuation currently stands at $4.2 million, his career high. Nevertheless, as per reports, Smith would easily be making north of $5 million. Those were enough dollars for the freshman sensation. He only wanted to win, and he was winning at Ohio State. And when he lost in 2025 to Miami, many thought this might be where Smith might reconsider his allegiances, especially to Miami.

“Just because they beat us and things went their way, I wasn’t going back home,” Smith detailed. “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.”

Smith isn’t new to stardom. His cousin, Geno Smith, is a long-time NFL quarterback, and he has learned a lot while being in the front seat, watching the Jets’ QB’s career unfold. Moreover, with his father’s guidance, Jeremiah became a national sensation while still in high school in Miami. Naturally, Mario Cristobal’s Miami recruited him heavily during that period. But once Smith drew that line and wore scarlet and gray, he never pondered switching colors.

Jeremiah Smith’s father keeps him ‘even keel’ amid unprecedented stardom

Smith became the top player for Chaminade-Madonna High School in Miami because of his talent. But his father always knew talent wasn’t going to be enough. It took a winning attitude, no talk, just hustle, and, most of all, treading that extra mile for a long career. The first thing his father, Chris Smith, needed to do in that regard was to instill a down-to-earth attitude. Even now, Chris Smith always cautions about that newfound stardom.

“Stay even keel,” Chris Smith said after Jeremiah signed the historic Adidas NIL deal. “It’s surreal, but we take it with a grain of salt. There’s more football to play. I always tell him never to get big-headed. Just keep working. You can be up top one day and down the next… Keeping him in a space where he’s doing great things, but he also knows he’s still a kid growing into it. Having the family around to keep him grounded.”

Jeremiah Smith’s father has always been a positive influence on him, and Ryan Day knows it. He is the one who has always prioritized “relationships” and knows how Ohio State can contribute to his son’s off-the-field development, as Day recounted. The change is clear as day, and Smith is on the right track to becoming that marquee NFL prospect.