Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has signed with Adidas, a major move for the sportswear and footwear giant ahead of college football’s 2025 season. Smith registered 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns last season as a five-star true freshman sensation for the national champions, who are a unanimous top five team ahead of the new campaign.

CBS Sports spoke to a source with knowledge of the agreement Wednesday, who acknowledged Smith would still wear Nike with the Buckeyes this season. Ohio State signed a then record-setting 15-year agreement with the Swoosh in 2016 to be the Buckeyes’ official apparel sponsor.

Smith is not tied to the Swoosh despite Ohio State’s relationship with Nike.

“Off the field, Jeremiah will be in Adidas product, along with any brand marketing (spots) and individual social media posts,” the source said.

Smith had multiple offers from various competitors and ultimately chose to represent Adidas moving forward.

The source noted that a similar scenario previously unfolded for current WNBA rookie Hailey Van Lith, who initially transferred from Louisville — an Adidas school — to Nike-sponsored LSU prior to finishing her career last season at TCU last season.

Van Lith’s NIL deal with Adidas carried over to Baton Rouge. She was one of 15 female student-athletes to sign with the brand in 2022.

Smith was a breakout performer in last season’s College Football Playoff, lighting up Tennessee and Oregon with multi-touchdown outings before clinching the national title against Notre Dame with a clicking 56-yard reception in the waning moments.

“One of the most memorable moments from last season was losing my black stripe and officially becoming a Buckeye,” Smith said in a press release. “Fast forward a year and I’m blessed to be adding three, joining the fastest brand in football. It’s crazy to be partnering with a brand that has such a talented roster of players and that I’ve been wearing since I was a young kid. We’re not done yet.” 

Smith told The Athletic of his new deal that being a part of the brand was “something special” as his football career continues to leap forward.

“I’ve been wearing Adidas since I was a young kid, 11, 10 years old,” Smith said.

Smith joins an Adidas portfolio that includes Patrick Mahomes, Travis Hunter and former Ohio State stars Garrett Wilson and Emeka Egbuka. He shattered numerous freshman program records in 2024 and is one of this fall’s Heisman frontrunners.

“We’re building a roster of collegiate athletes that are writing new chapters, creating legacies and shattering records for their programs and universities,” Chris McGuire, adidas vice president of sports marketing, said. “As the face of the next generation of elite football players, Jeremiah has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the game, making him a perfect fit for our roster of athletes.”

College Football

Certified game wreckers @EASPORTSCollege

91 » @John_Mateer4
90 » @THEJAYDNOTT pic.twitter.com/u3EUDDSVO6

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) July 1, 2025

Mel Kiper Jr. was the first-ever guest on The Dari Nowkhah Show.

Kiper spoke on what OU has in Jim Nagy as the General Manager.

“I don’t think there’s a better evaluator of talent out there.” pic.twitter.com/6KBwZNmWFs

— The REF (@KREFsports) July 1, 2025

NEW: EA College Football 26 Top 20 QBs

Do you agree?https://t.co/4kJOkqWN5i pic.twitter.com/kUcSjTkEUL

— On3 (@On3sports) July 1, 2025

If you’re confused about all of this, here’s a story detailing the House revenue-share concept from last month when the settlement was approved – https://t.co/kQ1LWX9GHr

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 1, 2025

With the new rev-share reality now upon us, here’s a detailed projection of how schools are expected to pay athletes, both in 2025-26 and the years to come.https://t.co/eQUQ95HE3c

— Zach Barnett (@zach_barnett) July 1, 2025

OU Sports & News

Welcome to the 405

Chloe Rodriquez has officially signed and will join the Sooners as a transfer from Lamar! We’re so excited to welcome you to OU

» Two-time Southland Conference Champion
» 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Qualifier pic.twitter.com/Tzz7tW8sWP

— Oklahoma T&F & XC (@OU_Track) July 1, 2025

Welcome to the 405

Ahmed Sayf Kadri has officially signed and will join the Sooners as a transfer from Eastern Kentucky

» 2023 NCAA XC Championships Qualifier
» 3-time NCAA Outdoor Championships Qualifier (800m, Steeplechase x 2)
» 2024 African Games Championships Finalist… pic.twitter.com/xNf7CeXiqb

— Oklahoma T&F & XC (@OU_Track) July 1, 2025

EA Sports College Football 26 rolled out some more player rankings and revealed its top 20 quarterbacks. Get ready to play as these guys with their respective schools.

Or of course, try to get them to transfer to your favorite program in dynasty mode! The list is pretty close to the standard ranking of quarterbacks throughout college football this year.

Without further ado, let’s dive into EA’s QB rankings for the new edition of the game. They are in order to go along with their actual rating.

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about Klubnik being the top quarterback in college football. Heck, some early mock drafts have him as the top QB, if not the No. 1 overall pick next spring.

Last season, he had a career year. Klubnik had 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 63.4% completion percentage to go along with 463 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

Nussmeier is a popular pick to win the Heisman Trophy this coming season, among other quarterbacks. But he’s proven he could fill the shoes of Jayden Daniels and could get LSU to the College Football Playoff this fall.

Last season, Nussmeier threw for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 64.2% completion percentage. Expect those types of numbers once again this fall.

3. Drew Allar, Penn State – 92

Drew Allar has the build, the skill and the poise to be one of the best QBs in the country. It’ll be interesting to see how he follows up last year’s run to the CFP semifinals with national championship expectations in 2025.

Allar was a more accurate quarterback last year and tossed 24 touchdowns. He also threw for 3,327 yards but had eight interceptions compared to two in 2023.

4. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State – 91

Leavitt broke out last season, helping the Sun Devils win the Big 12 and make the College Football Playoff. The hype train around Arizona State is still chugging along.

Last season, he threw for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 61.7% completion percentage. He added 443 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

Sellers is a dual threat quarterback and would be fun to play in a video game wouldn’t he? Especially after his 2024 season and following some development, he’ll be a player to watch in the SEC this fall. 

Last year, Sellers threw for 2,543 yards, 18 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 65.6% completion percentage. He also ran for 674 yards and seven touchdowns.

Mateer is about to get way more hype now that he’s in the SEC. That’s just the way it works despite his really productive season as a quarterback at Washington State.

Last year, he threw for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 64.6% completion percentage. He also ran for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns. Good luck stopping him!

Beck gets a fresh start at Miami following his transfer this offseason. The former Georgia quarterback had a lot of ups with the Bulldogs, but also some downs and ended last year with a season-ending injury.

Last season, Beck was productive, but his completion percentage went down (64.7%) and interceptions went up (12). Still, he threw for 3,485 yards and 28 touchdowns in 13 games.

This man is a hammer! Horvath would run through a brick wall over passing it any day! In all seriousness, he’s a quality quarterback for Navy.

As a passer, Horvath only threw for 1,353 yards, 13 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 57.6% completion percentage. But as a runner, he’s a stud: 1,246 yards, 17 touchdowns and 7.1 yards per carry.

Manning was already getting a lot of hype going into his first full year as a starting quarterback. Now, the latest EA video game already has him as a top 10 player.

In limited opportunities, and two starts, Manning threw for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions last year. He can also run really well, clocking in as one of the fastest QBs in the country, and he ran for 108 yards and four touchdowns on just 25 attempts.

10. DJ Lagway, Florida – 90

Lagway has a lot of potential as a quarterback and it seems like EA is banking on it as well. As long as he develops and stays healthy, he could really elevate Florida to new heights in 2025.

As a freshman, Lagway threw for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 59.9% completion percentage. If he cuts down on the turnovers and the offensive symmetry improves, it should be a good year. 

11. Avery Johnson, Kansas State – 89
12. Kevin Jennings, SMU – 89
13. Darian Mensah, Duke – 89
14. Luke Altmyer, Illinois – 89
15. Kaidon Salter, Colorado – 88
16. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA – 88
17. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt – 88
18. Rocco Becht, Iowa State – 88
19. Jake Retzlaff, BYU – 88
20. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor – 88

The city of Detroit fired back at Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham for her comments Tuesday about it being selected for WNBA expansion. Cunningham said in an interview prior to that evening’s WNBA Commissioner Cup final that she didn’t know “how excited (players) are to be going to Detroit or (Cleveland).”

That led to the official X account for the city of Detroit drumming up a response. It cited the success of the previous WNBA franchise, the Detroit Shock, which won three championships in its existence from 1998-2009. It also called Detroit a “sports city,” noting the success of its other professional teams.

“The last time we were home to a WNBA team (Detroit Shock) we ranked top five in attendance for five straight seasons, No. 1 in attendance for three straight seasons and set a single-game attendance record of 22,076 fans at Game 3 of the 2003 WNBA Finals,” the post read. “Additionally more than 775,000 people were excited to come to Detroit for the 2024 NFL draft. Detroit is a sports town. We’re sure we’ll see the same excitement for the WNBA returning.”

The Detroit Shock were highly successful during their time as a franchise, and there was plenty of fan interest. They led the league in attendance for three straight seasons from 2006-08.

However, the team dropped to fifth in attendance and lost $2 million during its final season in 2009, according to the Detroit Free-Press. After owner Bill Davidson died, his wife, Karen, sold the team and the new owners relocated it to Tulsa. The franchise stayed in Tulsa through 2015 before relocating again, and is currently the Dallas Wings.

Detroit is also home to NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL teams. It has the fifth-most championships among the four major sports with 22 total.

Sophie Cunningham’s point was less about the city of Detroit supporting the team and more about whether players would want to live there. She argued that there were more desirable destinations, at least from her point of view.

“You want to listen to your players, too,” she said. “Where do they want to play? Where are they going to get excited to play and draw fans? I do think that Miami would have been a great one. Everyone loves Florida. Nashville is an amazing city. Kansas City, amazing opportunity. There’s a huge arena downtown that no one’s using. I think the women’s soccer league is showing that people draw.

“So I’m not so sure what the thought process is there. But at the end of the day, you also want to make sure that you’re not expanding our league too fast. …So I just think it’s kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or (Cleveland).”

In the modern era of NIL, every team is looking for an advantage and a way to make more money for their NIL program to give their program an upper hand in recruiting and NIL for players.

Revenue sharing should slow that when you look at trying to find an upper hand to pay current players, but the revenue sharing model does not say anything about recruiting. As a result, some programs are still shelling out significant money on the recruiting trail.

So, how do programs make money? Some teams increase ticket prices, while others, like Tennessee, are putting sponsors’ logos on the football field.

Another SEC team is looking at going the same route as Tennessee, with On3 Sports reporting that the LSU Tigers are planning to sell jersey patch advertisements. The advertisements are pending NCAA approval, according to the report.

The Tigers are one of the premier schools in the SEC, and appear to be spearheading one of the biggest changes in the SEC this upcoming season. Some teams, namely in the NBA and the NFL, sell jersey patch advertisements during training camp and, for the NBA, the regular season.

While Alabama has not yet made a change like that to the traditional Alabama uniform, would you want to see Alabama make this change and sell jersey patch advertisements?

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men’s basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.