Ohio State Star Jeremiah Smith Makes History With NIL Deal

The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes are on a mission to make history with this year’s college football team by winning another championship. Ahead of that, their star wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, made history with a huge NIL deal.

Smith has signed a deal with Red Bull, and with that, he’ll become the first-ever college athlete pictured on cans of the popular energy drink. The big news arrives as his team remains unbeaten in college football and sits atop the AP Top 25 poll.

NIL refers to a student-athlete playing varsity sports earning from the use of their name, image, and likeness. The Red Bull partnership adds to Smith’s lucrative NIL deals, which reportedly give him a $4.2 million valuation.

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As of this writing, only two athletes are above Smith in terms of their NIL valuations. According to On3’s listing, Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning is first, while Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck is second overall.

Manning’s NIL valuation is $4.7 million, followed by Beck at $4.4 million, and Smith at $4.2 million. Smith’s Buckeyes teammate, Caleb Downs, is also on the overall list at No. 14 with a NIL valuation of $2.4 million.

Smith signed his Red Bull deal in September 2024. The Ohio State star also has deals or partnerships with Adidas Football, Nintendo, KeyBank, 7-Eleven, and American Eagle Outfitters. The latter is a collaboration that also involves Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce and UConn Huskies women’s basketball star Azzi Fudd.

Smith currently boasts a large social media following, with 662,000 Instagram followers and 255,000 TikTok followers, as of this report. Being in the spotlight as part of the reigning championship team, and seemingly a top contender to win it again, also helps.

Ohio State’s most recent win came at the expense of the Wisconsin Badgers, 34-0. Smith finished with 97 yards on nine catches in the game. For the season, the star receiver has recorded 49 receptions for 602 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Buckeyes remain a favorite to win this season’s championship and will attempt to stay undefeated when they battle Penn State on Nov. 1.

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