Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith signs NIL deal with Battle Sports

Jeremiah Smith is starring in his most notable NIL campaign to date.

The Ohio State wide receiver and No. 1 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class inked an endorsement deal, starring in a new social media campaign with Battle Sports. It’s one of the first moves in the NIL space for the football equipment company.

Along with participating in a photoshoot for Battle, Smith is featured in a video breaking down what he wants to accomplish in his college football career and what it took to make it to Ohio State. A 6-foot-3, 215-pound wide receiver, over his final two seasons at Hollywood (Florida) Chaminade-Madonna Prep, he caught 151 passes for 2,474 yards and 39 touchdowns.

“What makes me ‘me?'” Smith says in the video released by Battle Sports on Instagram. “It’s not the fact I can jump high. It’s not the fact I can run fast. It’s not the highlights, but I do like the highlights. I been who I am before all that. My family made me. Miami Garden Ravens made me. Boy, those hills coach Rod Mack made us run — those made me. Chaminade made me. Coach Jones made me.

“My teammates, my squad. My love for the game made me. And I just gotta pay it forward. That’s JJ.”

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Jeremiah Smith’s growing NIL brand

Smith has already impressed at Ohio State during his short time since enrolling this winter. He “Mossed” sophomore cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. and beat senior corner Denzel Burke downfield in single coverage on Student Appreciation Day. He also hauled in a one-handed touchdown catch during spring ball a week later.

“I love the way he lives,” Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline said of Smith earlier this offseason. “I love the way he approaches things, the questions he asks. I love the way he makes mistakes and then corrects mistakes. It’s very veteran-like.”

Smith has already inked agreements with the NIL collectives The Foundation and The 1870 Society, the primary collective for the Buckeyes. He also signed with Ricart Automotive in March. In exchange for his work promoting the dealership, he was handed the keys to a Dodge Durango 392. He’s in EA Sports College Football 25 as the top-rated freshman in the game, too.

With over 188,000 social media followers, Smith holds an On3 NIL Valuation of $752,000. The valuation is 43rd in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation. His valuation is also in the top 25 of the college football NIL rankings.

“Despite what some fans and media believe, there is not an unlimited amount of money being deployed to manage rosters,” said Shannon Terry, the founder and CEO of On3. “Any model – whether it’s today’s broken NCAA ‘student-athlete’ construct or media rights sharing through employment, which is almost a certainty in the near future – demands efficiency based on the athlete and school knowing the athlete’s respective market value.”

The On3 NIL Valuation is calculated by combining Roster Value and personal NIL. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. NIL in an athlete’s name, image and likeness and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.

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