$4.2 Million WR Clearly Ranked Among Best Wide Receivers in College Football

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) warms-up before the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2025 season produced several breakout and elite college receivers, including Makai Lemon (USC), Skyler Bell (UConn), and Miami’s rising star Malachi Toney, among others.

Toney emerged as one of the year’s true volume monsters, hauling in 109 catches for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns while serving as the focal point of Miami’s passing attack.

Meanwhile, Lemon capped a banner campaign by winning the Biletnikoff Award after piling up 1,156 yards and 11 scores, cementing himself as the nation’s top receiver.

Bell joined that tier of elite production, finishing with 101 receptions for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns, earning Biletnikoff finalist honors and consensus All-America recognition at UConn.

Yet despite that loaded 2025 landscape, on Monday, Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon projected Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith as the headliner among college football’s top receivers entering 2026.

"Jeremiah Smith exploded onto the scene as a true freshman in 2024, surpassing 1,300 yards and helping Ohio State win a national title. Last year, he collected 87 receptions for 1,243 yards and 12 scores. At this point, Smith is trending toward being a top selection in the 2027 NFL draft," Kenyon wrote.

"He's a proven game-breaking target and an elite college receiver. Throw in the return of star quarterback Julian Sayin, and Smith has a clear path to becoming a rare three-time All-American."

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) runs the ball for a touchdown in the third quarter against the Miami Hurricanes | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Smith was a national five-star recruit out of Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Miami Gardens, Florida, ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2024 class. He committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes over more than 40 scholarship offers, arriving in Columbus as one of the most decorated prospects in the country.

He immediately validated that billing, bursting onto the scene as a true freshman in 2024 before following it with another dominant campaign in 2025. Smith has now produced back-to-back seasons of 1,200+ receiving yards with double-digit touchdowns, establishing himself as one of college football’s premier playmakers.

As a team, Ohio State finished 12–2 in 2025, including a 9–0 mark in Big Ten play, with Smith serving as the offense’s centerpiece.

Off the field, Smith’s profile continues to soar. On3’s NIL valuation tracker estimates his NIL value at $4.2 million entering 2026, second among college football players behind only Arch Manning ($5.4 million).

With Julian Sayin entrenched at quarterback and key weapons returning, Smith enters 2026 positioned for another All-American caliber season and further momentum toward becoming a top selection in the 2027 NFL Draft.

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