Jeremiah Smith already carries a $4.2 million NIL valuation before even stepping into his junior season. He’s aligned with big companies like Adidas, Red Bull, and Nintendo among others. He’s also stamped himself into pop culture as the cover athlete for EA Sports College Football 26.
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That brand power showed up at Formula 1 weekend where Jeremiah Smith casually dropped a flex not every 20 year old could. In an interview with Complex News, he was asked what his dream car was growing up.
“It’s always been a Urus Lamborghini,” he replied without hesitating.
When asked if he plans to get one soon, he smiled and replied, “I already have. I bought it last year, December. So I got my dream car.”
Jeremiah Smith said his car is Matte black, Nero Nemesis. A matte black Lamborghini Urus costs anywhere from $230,000 to well over $300,000 depending on trim and customization. Owning a car like that remains an unfulfilled dream for many but he can definitely afford it with his millionaire status. And to think, he could’ve even added another $10 million to his name. But he didn’t.
This offseason, Jeremiah Smith caught the attention of several programs who were willing to buy him from Ohio State with multi millions. In a previous interview with On3’s Chris Low, he admitted teams were offering him over $10 million to transfer. And yet, he never entered.
“No reason to go back home, not when I’m at the best place in the country,” he said. “I came to Ohio State for a reason, to win championships, develop as a player and a person, and keep building on this legacy.”
This shows his loyalty and commitment to Ryan Day and Ohio State because if there was ever a logical moment to leave, this was it. The Buckeyes had just endured a frustrating playoff exit and WRs coach Brian Hartline moved on. The coveted WR could’ve bolted and no one would’ve questioned it. Still, that didn’t make sense for him.
“I mean, you hear the numbers and everything,” he said. “But to be honest, it didn’t make sense for me to go back. I have a good quarterback here. 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.”
Still, Jeremiah Smith isn’t staying out of loyalty alone. He’s staying because he’s already dominating and he knows where that leads. As a sophomore, he led the Big Ten with 87 receptions and 1,243 receiving yards, adding 12 touchdowns and All-American honors. His freshman year was even better where he recorded 1,300+ yards and 15 scores and won the national championship. Consistency like that is rare and it’s why the market bent around him.
Staying might be the smartest financial move Jeremiah Smith made
A typical “high-end” WR in the portal might fetch $1-2 million annually, per CBS Sports. Jeremiah Smith broke that threshold.
“Several receivers pushed close to the $3 million mark,” Chris Hummer said. “If you keep the double-it mentally with Smith the same, you quickly get to $6 million-plus. But Smith is different than most college football players because he can command actual name, image and likeness dollars… There are always exceptions in sports. Smith is one of them. He’s one of a handful of college athletes capable of reaching eight figures.”
By turning down $10 million, Jeremiah Smith might actually be setting himself up to earn far more. Ohio State remains a pipeline for NFL receivers as we saw in the recent NFL draft with four Buckeyes selected in the top-11. Besides, the infrastructure is intact with a returning QB in Julian Sayin. They are still positioned to contend for a title. And if everything breaks right, Jeremiah Smith is looking at being one of the first names called in 2027.
So yeah, he bought the dream car early. But his decisions show Jeremiah Smith understands timing. He knows when to take and when to wait. Most 20-year-olds with access to eight-figure offers don’t think like that. But he does and that’s what makes him different.
