Ohio State superstar Jeremiah Smith near the top of the list for NIL earnings for all of college athletics, not just football.
Jeremiah Smith timed his college experience just right. He entered college sports at the exact right time, when he was not at the forefront of the NIL era, but he hit it right in the sweet spot.
It certainly helps that he might be the best wide receiver to ever play college football, and he has been paid handsomely for it, even though he has left significant money on the table.
On3's Pete Nakos ranked the top athletes, not just football players, who have made the most money that has been paid from a college's collective, not their total NIL earnings.
The Buckeyes' superstar has netted a reported $5M from Ohio State's collective as he enters what will be his final season in college football before he is almost certainly drafted in the top-3 of next year's NFL Draft.
Smith's Ohio State contract has definitely grown throughout the years, especially this offseason when it was reported that an unnamed team, maybe the one that beat Ohio State in the Playoffs that was close to Smith's hometown, offered him an absurd $10M to jump ship.
Smith renegotiated slightly and decided that it was in his best interest to stay at Ohio State and finish his career there.
While Smith left $5M on the table to hit the transfer portal, his income doesn't stop at just Ohio State's collective. With over 1 million followers on social media, any brand that wants to work with him is going to have to pay a pretty penny.
His direct partnerships with Adidas and Red Bull pull the most weight and pay the biggest check.
Even with all of this income, Smith still lands at No. 5 on this list. The top earner does come from The U, and it is their new QB, Darien Mensah, who is pulling in a reported $6.5M.
After Mensah, it is two basketball players in Kentucky Transfer Milan Momcilovic, who checks in at $6M, the same as Louisville Cardinals transfer center Flory Bidunga,, who transferred from Kansas this offseason.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore comes in at $5M in the No. 4 spot, same as Smith, who is also tied with the remainder of the Top-10.
The environment that has been created for these young stars is incredible for them personally. They will all enter their respective pro leagues with plenty of money, hopefully saved in the bank, before they even get to their rookie contracts.
For Jeremiah Smith, it has never been about the money; it has always been about being the best football player he possibly could be. He knew that he would accomplish this at Ohio State, and because of that, he left many millions on the table to make it happen.
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