College Football's No. 1 WR Offered $10 Million to Transfer to Major Program

The player considered the best wide receiver in college football pretty much since he stepped foot on the field as a freshman expects to be tempted with some wild offers, but not even eight figures was apparently enough to lure him away from his current school.

Ohio State star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is poised to return for his third season, and he’ll do it in the scarlet and gray, despite receiving a pitch from another program that likely would have made him the richest wideout in college.

Someone offered Smith big money

College Football's No. 1 WR offered $10 million to transfer to major program — Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

How much was the offer? “Over $10 million, easy. But that’s not how I operate,” Smith told On3 Sports.

Not bad take home pay for what would basically be a one year arrangement, as Smith is expected to enter the NFL Draft after the 2026 season.

And it would represent almost twice the amount of the entire NIL valuation of the currently highest valued player in the country, quarterback Arch Manning.

Smith didn’t name any programs that were extending him any offers, but the school most often linked in speculation has been Miami, the South Florida native’s hometown team.

But it wasn’t just the Hurricanes who were thought to be reaching out to Smith, who said that his agent was receiving calls from multiple programs after the Buckeyes won the national championship after the 2024 season.

He would be worth every penny

No other college football player is thought to be worth a $10 million deal, but if anyone was, it would be Jeremiah Smith.

The virtual consensus No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class, Smith walked onto Ohio State’s campus shrouded in hype, and has lived up to every bit of it.

A few elite wide receivers have been able to command packages in the neighborhood of $2-3 million in a market willing to pay for instant impact players.

Smith is something more than that, instantly recognizable to any college football fan anywhere in the country, and his production and popularity have resulted in his being matched with serious brands like Adidas, Red Bull, and others.

He was also featured on the cover of the EA Sports College Football video game, and is set to play his likely final collegiate season with national championship ambitions before inevitably emerging as a high first round NFL Draft selection.

That combination of success and name recognition has resulted in Smith ranking second nationally in the On3 Sports NIL valuation, at $4.2 million.

Miami is willing to pay serious dollars

Smith made no secret of strongly considering the Hurricanes during his recruitment process, a decision that basically came down to the last minute on signing day itself.

And the program has certainly been eager to spread out big money in order to lure players coming out of the transfer portal, especially at key offensive skill positions like quarterbacks Cam Ward and Carson Beck, and Darian Mensah this offseason.

But in the end, it was Ohio State’s ability to recruit and develop NFL-caliber wide receivers that kept Smith loyal to the Buckeyes.

Playing alongside a Heisman contender at quarterback on a team that has a shot at the national title again, it’s a safe bet Smith will make his $10 million soon anyway.

(On3)