CHICAGO - Jeremiah Smith continues to double down on the fact he was always going to be a Buckeye this year, even if it meant missing out on a $10 million payday.
At Big Ten Media Day on July 29, Smith was asked if there is any truth to him turning down a $10 million NIL deal to transfer from Ohio State this offseason.
"Yeah, Smith said. "That's true."
Smith didn't elaborate on any details of the potential deal or which school made the offer.
During an interview with On3 in April, Smith said he could have made over $10 million "easy" if he decided to leave Ohio State for another school. The third-year wide receiver added to the remark by expressing, "that's
not how I operate."
Last year, three antitrust lawsuits involving the NCAA resulted in schools being allowed to pay players directly through NIL. However, NCAA rules state that schools can contact players from other programs only while they're in the transfer portal, which Smith never entered.
Miami was runner-up to Ohio State in recruiting Smith out of South Florida. After the Buckeyes lost to Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, he was aware that others hoped he would enter the transfer portal, one team in particular.
“I wasn't surprised,” Smith said. “I knew, especially at the end of that game, that a certain program was going to come at me very hard. But I'm not going to say names. I think everyone knows who it was.”
Smith finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting last year, after recording 1,243 yards on 87 catches.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Is it true Jeremiah Smith turned down $10M to stay at Ohio State?
