By the end of Jeremiah Smith’s second year at Ohio State, he was the face of college football. NIL deals from giants like Adidas, Red Bull, Nintendo, 7-Eleven, and KeyBank lined up for him. Yet many programs believed an eight-figure offer might just push Smith into the transfer portal. Little did they know, money was the last thing on the WR’s mind. All he wanted was to win, and that helped Ryan Day keep Smith in Columbus. But that wasn’t it; Smith’s father’s influence was also at work in the background.
“What we said we’re going to do for Jeremiah, we followed through with, and I think there’s a lot of trust there that’s been built over the last three years,” Ryan Day opened up on how he kept Smith at OSU during an April 8 appearance on Cam Heyward’s show. “When all that went down, it’s just a bunch of grown people getting together and talking it through. We shake our hands, and we both have to follow through on our end. And that’s exactly what happens.”
Smith’s freshman season saw the Buckeyes win the national championship. However, even before that, he had seen a glimpse of the spotlight through his cousin Geno Smith. More importantly, by getting a front seat to Geno’s rise in the pros, the Ohio State wide receiver learned how to stay grounded. But the biggest catalyst was still Jeremiah Smith’s father, Chris, who taught him humility.
“It ain’t his cousin, it’s his dad,” Smith’s high school head coach, Dameon Jones, said. “His dad instilled that in him at a young age. His dad was one of those parents over the years who never complained about anything. He used to work for him. He instilled that in him early, so when J.J. (Jeremiah) got older, it was the norm. That’s what he was used to, no matter if Dad was around or not. That’s what he did.”
NEW: Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith says he could’ve made INSANE money if he entered the transfer portal this offseason:
“Over 10 million dollars, easy.”
pic.twitter.com/uEOS2Wth1Y
— College Transfer Portal (@CollegeFBPortal) April 8, 2026
Chris Smith always knew that his natural talent wasn’t going to be enough. If he wanted to chase greatness, the path had to go through consistent work, unrelenting drive, and, most of all, staying humble. Smith was already a national sensation in high school, but Chris Smith had probably seen sensations fail, give in to youth’s vices, and the spotlight kill a promising career. Therefore, he raised his kid to be practical, even after an earth-shattering performance.
“Just keep him grounded,” Chris Smith said. “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. Making sure he understands that outside of football, it’s about family. He understands how to separate the football from his personal life.”
That’s why Jeremiah Smith is still a young kid, chasing performance after performance. He knows being at Ohio State is the best thing he can do for an eventual career in the pros.
Ryan Day praises the ‘counsel’ Jeremiah Smith has in his career
Last season, Smith accumulated 1,243 yards for 12 touchdowns and was the unanimous All-American. The only award that remains is the Heisman, and Smith is mature enough to know that staying at Ohio State is the only way to achieve that.
“Jeremiah, I think he said it before publicly, could have gone other places probably for more money, but he was thinking big,” Ryan Day said. “If they’re thinking short-term and if they’re just going to chase what’s right in front of them, then they’re going to miss the big picture down the line. And Jeremiah has always had great counsel with him. But he’s also got a lot of wisdom for a young age, and he knew what he wanted, and he thought big.”
Smith’s leadership will be tested this year, as he’s the only returning starter in the WR room. With his receiving companion Carnell Tate gone to the NFL and other receivers transferring, he’ll be flanked by unproven talent: Brandon Inniss is set to take Tate’s spot, while UTSA transfer Devin McCuin will handle the slot.
Jeremiah Smith turns down a rumored ACC program’s offer
During Smith’s high school recruitment, in-state Miami emerged as his top choice among the many programs pursuing him. He even talked to Cam Ward and could have easily committed to Miami. It would have been logistically more sound, since Smith is a Miami native and attended Chaminade High School in Hollywood, Florida. However, Smith ditched Miami once, and he probably hinted at ditching it again after it was rumored to have come with a potential $10 million offer.
“I wasn’t surprised,” the OSU WR told reporters. “I knew, especially at the end of that game, that a certain program was going to come at me very hard. Not gonna say no names. I think everybody here knows who it was. But I wasn’t goin’ nowhere.”
College football programs now readily try to snatch elite talent from their rivals. The portal offers them a perfect opportunity. And while many players have taken the bait, Smith shows that loyalty is still a thing in the new NIL order.
