$4.2 million WR issues warning to college football

A seven-month offseason separates the beginning of the 2026 college football season from the College Football Playoff National Championship game.

While many of the stars from the 2025 season are off to the 2026 NFL draft, there are plenty who will return to college football in 2026. Some entered the NCAA transfer portal to find a new program to play for in early January, while others are sticking it out at the school they began their careers with.

One of the premier players heading into the 2026 college football season is Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. He has two seasons of college eligibility remaining, although he is widely considered a first-round prospect for the 2027 NFL draft.

The 6-foot-3, 223-pounder came to Ohio State as the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2024. He did not disappoint in his freshman season, catching 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 47 more yards and another touchdown. A critical component in Ohio State's national championship run, Smith finished with over 100 receiving yards in five games.

Jeremiah Smith during Ohio State's 2025 football game at Michigan. — Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates a touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He was named Wide Receiver of the Year, Freshman of the Year and All-Big Ten First Team by the Big Ten in 2024. He earned All-America First Team honors from USA Today and Offensive Freshman of the Year from On3.

Smith caught 87 passes for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 21 yards and a touchdown, going over the 100-yard mark in six different games. He repeated as Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year and All-Big Ten First Team and earned consensus All-America honors across college football media outlets.

However, there were some missed opportunities at the end of the season that left a sour taste in Smith's mouth. The Buckeyes lost both the Big Ten Championship to Indiana (13-10) and their first College Football Playoff game against Miami (24-14). Additionally, Smith lost the Biletnikoff Award to Makai Lemon of USC for best wide receiver in college football.

Smith is determined to bring home the Biletnikoff Award in 2026. He appeared on "I Am Next," a partnership of the "I Am Next" podcast and EA's College Football 26 and discussed his motivation going into the 2026 college football season.

"It's gonna be scary, I can say that. I mean, three years of college ball, going into my junior year, I'm just going to be on go like every game, " Smith said. "I feel like this (past) year, they took something from me, and everybody's got to pay for it.... I'm out for everybody."

Jeremiah Smith on this upcoming season:

“I’m gonna just be on go every game. I feel like this year they took something from me and everybody’s gotta pay for it…I’m out for everybody” pic.twitter.com/avNtOY0A1c
— Woody (@woodyVSworld) January 29, 2026