$4.2 million WR projected to be No. 1 player in college football next season

A wide receiver at a major college football program is projecting as the best player in the sport in 2026.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) catches a touchdown pass during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025. Ohio State won 34-16. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2025 college football season is officially in the rearview mirror with Indiana's defeat of Miami (27-21) in the College Football Playoff national championship.

College football media outlets are beginning to produce way too early predictions for the 2026 college football season. These projections can include top 25 rankings, College Football Playoff brackets, and early Heisman odds.

On3 released its way too early top 10 college football for the 2026 season on Thursday. The list included three wide receivers, two quarterbacks, two running backs, two edge rushers and an offensive tackle.

The three wide receivers were Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State, Malachi Toney of Miami and Cam Coleman of Texas. On3 ranked Smith as its No. 1 player heading into the 2026 season.

The 6-foot-3, 223-pounder arrived at Ohio State in 2024 as a consensus five-star prospect and the No. 1 wide receiver in the recruiting class.

Smith made an immediate impact for the Buckeyes, catching 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns while accumulating 47 yards and another touchdown on the ground. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark in five games, the last two of which were in the midst of the Buckeyes' run to a College Football Playoff national championship victory.

Smith received multiple honors on a conference level. He earned All-Big Ten First Team distinction, Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year and Richter-Howard Wide Receiver of the Year. Nationally, he was named All-America First Team by USA Today and Offensive Freshman of the Year by On3.

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) makes a catch during the College Football Playoff National Championship | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The production Smith compiled in 2025 was eerily similar to that of 2024. He grabbed 87 receptions for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns and ran for another 21 yards and touchdown. He surpassed 100 yards receiving six times for the Buckeyes in 2025, two of which were in the Big Ten Championship and Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

Smith stacked more conference and national accolades for his performance in 2025. He repeated as an All-Big Ten First Team selection and Richter-Howard Wide Receiver of the Year. He was a unanimous All-America selection from every college football media outlet and a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, ultimately coming up short as Makai Lemon of USC won the award.

The production Smith showcased in his first two seasons at Ohio State have earned him copious amounts of attention as a probable first round choice in the 2027 NFL draft. Of the other two wide receivers in On3's list, Coleman is the only other one that will be draft eligible in 2027.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates a catch during the first half of the Big Ten Conference championship | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images