Oregon State has Jesse Legree, a freshman receiver putting up Jeremiah Smith numbers, and now former NFL star Chad Johnson wants to make sure he’s still in Corvallis next year. Through seven games, Legree has more receiving yards and touchdown catches than Smith, despite arriving as a relatively unknown three-star recruit.
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Johnson, who played at Oregon State, says he is willing to put up $2M of his own money to help keep him. With Legree emerging as one of the best receivers in college football, bigger programs like Ohio State, Texas, and Georgia could potentially pursue him if he enters the transfer portal.
“Chad Johnson is offering to pay out of pocket to help Oregon State retain star freshman WR Jesse Legree. ‘Hey [JaMarcus Shephard], you give him $2 million, I give him $2 million. That’s $4 million right there,’ Johnson said on his podcast Nightcap,” Front Office Sports reported on X.
During the Nightcap podcast which Johnson co-hosts with Shannon Sharpe, the former NFL WR proposed matching a $2M payment from Oregon State to retain Legree. It’s an ambitious offer for a program that could struggle to compete financially with college football’s biggest names.
Novig posted its own take after Legree’s latest game on X: “Jesse Legree is on a mission to steal the Biletnikoff award from Jeremiah Smith. 8 REC 108 YDS 2 TDs – Legree is the REAL DEAL!”
The numbers back up the noise. Through seven games, Legree leads the FBS with 46 catches for 1,040 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 22.6 yards per reception. Smith, meanwhile, has 52 receptions for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 18.9 yards per catch. Although the Buckeyes have faced tougher Big Ten competition, Legree’s production has made him a legitimate name in the conversation surrounding the nation’s top receivers.
And the freshman is collecting records just as quickly. On October 19, Oregon State confirmed that Legree had earned his seventh consecutive Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honor, tying the conference’s record for weekly awards held by Bo Nix, Joshua Karty, and Zane Gonzalez. He also surpassed Alexis Serna’s Oregon State record of six weekly honors.
That kind of production is turning heads beyond Corvallis. And with Oregon State lacking the financial firepower of programs, Legree could get poached by richer programs.
“Jesse Legree, hey, I see you boy. You making Oregon State proud. All of the alumni, you making us proud,” Johnson said on his podcast.
Legree gave the alumni another reason to celebrate during Oregon State’s 48-30 victory over Washington State. He caught eight passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns, including a 90-yard reception from Braden Atkinson. According to Oregon State Athletics, it was just the sixth reception of 90 or more yards in school history.
The performance also extended his school record to seven consecutive 100-yard receiving games. His 1,040 receiving yards tie Sammie Stroughter for 10th on Oregon State’s single-season list, while his 14 touchdown catches leave him just two shy of Brandin Cooks’ school record of 16, set in 2013.
For now, Legree hasn’t announced any plans to enter the transfer portal. Johnson’s proposed contribution could create a potential $4M package if Oregon State provides the matching amount. But nothing has been finalized, leaving the Beavers with a major financial challenge if the freshman decides to explore his options.
Can Chad Johnson’s $2M offer keep Jesse Legree at Oregon State?
The bigger issue for Oregon State isn’t whether Legree deserves a massive NIL deal. His freshman production has already established his value. The question is whether the Beavers can assemble a competitive package before other programs get the opportunity to recruit him.
Johnson’s involvement could change that equation, particularly for a team that finished a combined 7-17 over the previous two seasons. Oregon State is now 5-2, having won five straight games after opening the year with losses to Houston and Texas Tech. Keeping a player responsible for so much of its offensive production could be critical to sustaining that progress.
Still, a $2M pledge from a former NFL star isn’t the same as a signed agreement. Oregon State would need to arrange its share of the proposed package, and Legree would have to decide that staying in Corvallis is the right move. Until then, Johnson has made his intentions clear, but the Beavers have no guarantee that their freshman sensation will return next season.