Jeremiah Smith already carries a $4.2 million NIL valuation before even stepping into his junior season. He’s aligned with big companies like Adidas, Red Bull, and Nintendo, among others. He’s also stamped himself into pop culture as the cover athlete for EA Sports College Football 26. 

That brand power showed up at the Formula 1 weekend, where Jeremiah Smith casually dropped a flex not every 20-year-old could. In an interview with Complex News, he was asked what his dream car was growing up. 

“It’s always been a Urus Lamborghini,” he replied without hesitating. 

When asked if he plans to get one soon, he smiled and replied, “I already have. I bought it last year, December. So I got my dream car.”

He specifically chose the matte black Nero Nemesis finish, a luxury that easily pushes the sticker price well past the $300,000 mark. Securing that ultimate dream ride back in December actually perfectly explains his mindset just weeks later. When rival programs came knocking with desperate, eight-figure transfer offers in January, Smith already had everything he wanted parked right at home.

This offseason, Jeremiah Smith caught the attention of several programs that were willing to buy him from Ohio State for millions. In a previous interview with On3’s Chris Low, he admitted teams were offering him over $10 million to transfer. And yet, he never entered.

“No reason to go back home, not when I’m at the best place in the country,” he said. “I came to Ohio State for a reason, to win championships, develop as a player and a person, and keep building on this legacy.”

This shows his loyalty and commitment to Ryan Day and Ohio State because if there was ever a logical moment to leave, this was it. Losing offensive coordinator Brian Hartline to South Florida could have easily been the breaking point. Hartline was the mastermind who recruited him, and his exit gave Jeremiah Smith the ultimate free pass to chase that massive payday elsewhere. Instead of taking the easy out when the coaching staff shifted, he chose to anchor the offense himself.

“I mean, you hear the numbers and everything,” he said. “But to be honest, it didn’t make sense for me to go back. I have a good quarterback here. I have a wonderful 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.”

Still, Jeremiah Smith isn’t staying out of loyalty alone. He’s staying because he’s already dominating, and he knows where that leads. As a sophomore, he led the Big Ten with 87 receptions and 1,243 receiving yards, adding 12 touchdowns and All-American honors. His freshman year was even better, where he recorded 1,300+ yards and 15 scores and won the national championship. Consistency like that is rare, and it’s why the market bent around him.

Staying might be the smartest financial move Jeremiah Smith made

A typical “high-end” WR in the portal might fetch $1-2 million annually, per CBS Sports. Jeremiah Smith broke that threshold. 

“Several receivers pushed close to the $3 million mark,” Chris Hummer said. “If you keep the double-it mentally with Smith the same, you quickly get to $6 million-plus. But Smith is different than most college football players because he can command actual name, image, and likeness dollars… There are always exceptions in sports. Smith is one of them. He’s one of a handful of college athletes capable of reaching eight figures.”

By turning down $10 million, Jeremiah Smith might actually be setting himself up to earn far more. Ohio State remains a pipeline for NFL receivers, as we saw in the recent NFL draft, with four Buckeyes selected in the top-11. Besides, the infrastructure is intact with a returning QB in Julian Sayin. They are still positioned to contend for a title. And if everything breaks right, Jeremiah Smith is looking at being one of the first names called in 2027.

Waiting until the Miami Grand Prix in May to casually reveal a purchase he made five months prior shows just how differently he operates. While most college stars would have flaunted the ride immediately or chased the extra ten million, Smith kept quiet. He understands that building a real legacy, much like building generational wealth, requires immense patience.