Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith led the Buckeyes to the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game and a berth in the College Football Playoff, where they fell to the Indiana Hoosiers.
Smith earned All-America honors after leading the conference in receptions and receiving yards.
Ryan Day Discusses Jeremiah Smith’s Transfer Offers
In an interview with On3’s Chris Low, Smith revealed that programs offered him payments exceeding $10 million to transfer.
“Over 10 million dollars, easy. Just because they beat us and things went their way, I wasn’t going back home,” Smith said, referencing reported interest from the Miami Hurricanes. “I mean, you hear the numbers and everything. But to be honest, it didn’t make sense for me to go back.”
While speaking to reporters on Monday, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day addressed the speculation about the figures quoted to players.
“I’m not sure what crazy is anymore,” Day said. “It’s a challenging time, and we’re all trying to figure it out. This is an unprecedented time for sure.”
Smith joined the Buckeyes as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 class. He helped lead Ohio State to a national championship as a true freshman, registering 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.
In two seasons at Ohio State, Smith ranks fifth in receiving touchdowns (27) and sixth in receiving yards (2,558) in program history. He needs nine touchdowns to surpass the school record held by Chris Olave (35) and 341 receiving yards to surpass the school record held by Michael Jenkins (2,898).
Next season, the Buckeyes return Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Julian Sayin and Smith. Both hold +1300 odds to win the award.
In his interview with Low, Smith discussed why he turned down the offers to remain in Columbus.
“I have a good quarterback here,” Smith said. “I have a good group of teammates here. A lot of people came back, so it would look stupid for me to go there, and we have a team here that’s already built.
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“But that’s not how I operate. I came to Ohio State for a reason, to win championships, develop as a player and keep building on this legacy. I might have grown up in South Florida, but I’m a Buckeye. That’s not changing. I wasn’t going anywhere.”
Last season, Smith earned a PFSN College Wide Receiver Impact score of 85.1 after tallying 87 receptions for 1,243 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
