Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
On Monday the “legal tampering” period of NFL free agency started. While former Buckeye Justin Fields cashed in by signing with the New York Jets, what Fields will be paid is just a drop in the bucket compared to some other stars around the league who inked contract extensions over the weekend. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen signed a new contract that will guarantee him at least $250 million, and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett became the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history.
With the introduction of NIL, now schools and collectives can splash money at college football players to try and entice them to either keep them from entering the transfer portal, or to lure them from their current school. The money might not be quite as hefty as what is being thrown around by NFL teams this week, it could be life-changing to college students. Just to think, only a handful of years ago it would still be against the rules for collegiate athletes to accept any money. At least now college players are getting a piece of the pie, since they are the ones putting their bodies and health on the line for our entertainment.
Today we want to know what current Buckeye you would splash the cash at in free agency. Even though this can be done in a way through NIL, any donations aren’t earmarked to be used specifically on players, you want them to go towards. With today’s question we can give you the opportunity to proclaim which current Ohio State player you think is most valuable to the team.
With so many changes on both sides of the football, with the roster as well as on the coaching staff, a number of returning starters are going to be more valuable than others. We don’t need to know how much money you’d throw at them, just the player who would be worth the most to you heading into the 2025 season.
Today’s question: Which current Buckeye player would you break the bank for?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Caleb Downs
I’m sure the obvious answer to this question is Jeremiah Smith, especially after the phenomenal freshman season he had in the scarlet and gray. Don’t get me wrong, I think Smith is going to be insanely valuable this season to the Buckeyes, especially since they’ll have a new starting quarterback. I just think that Caleb Downs is going to have an even bigger impact on the defensive side of the football. Plus, with the way Brian Hartline and Ryan Day are able to bring ace wide receivers to Columbus, I feel like securing a player like Downs would be more important to the title hopes of the Buckeyes.
Essentially the starting defensive line of the Buckeyes, the leading tackler, and a number of starters in the secondary from last year’s team are all gone. Also, Jim Knowles voluntarily decided he’d like to live in State College, which is sicko behavior. With Knowles now coordinating the Penn State defense, enter Matt Patricia as the new defensive coordinator of the Buckeyes. After spending a couple decades in the NFL, who knows how Patricia will transition to coaching at the college level.
Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images
Even though Downs was outstanding last year in his first season in Columbus, I think we see an even better year this season from the safety. Last year Downs had plenty of returning starting talent around him to help take some of the pressure off of him after he transferred from Alabama. Now the spotlight is going to shine even brighter on Downs since he and linebacker Sonny Styles are going to be the most notable returning starters on defense for the defending national champions.
There’s no question that Downs has the potential to be a top 10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. When it’s all said and done, Downs is so good that he could be in the same conversation as guys like Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, and Earl Thomas when his NFL career is over. I know safeties don’t get paid like top wide receivers do, but recently teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have shown they can win consistently without having high-priced receivers. Sign me up for the guy who can help slow down some of the star receivers in the league.
Matt’s answer: Jeremiah Smith
I mean, come on. Despite all of the immense talent on the Ohio State roster, there are really only two options that you can really go for here. Brett took the defensive option, and I’m taking the offensive option… and I got the better pick.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Caleb Downs and think he deserves a “max contract,” but one of the cardinal rules of roster building is to get in on a guy early in his career. While college football NIL agreements aren’t the same thing as NFL multi-year contracts, the fact that the best wide receiver in the sport has two years left to play college football means that he has tons more value than someone in Downs’ situation who will be out the door in 10 months.
We know that Smith is going to be the focal point of Ohio State’s offense in the fall — and, in turn, the focus of their opponents’ defenses. That means that he carries multiple levels of value for the Buckeyes. Not only can he completely take over a game with insane levels of athleticism, but he can also open up the game for other players wearing scarlet and gray. That makes him even more important to lock up; he transcends the importance of a single player, because just by the virtue of him being on the field, everyone else’s playmaking ability automatically increases.
His cousin — Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith — has long said that Jeremiah is destined to become the greatest wide receiver in the history of the game. While he still has a ways to go in that department, there is no doubt that his freshman season in Columbus has him primed to go down in Buckeye history as one of, if not THE all-time great.
So, coming into his sophomore season, I am backing up the Buckeyes’ proverbial Brinks truck to make sure that Jeremiah Smith is as happy as possible to play not one, but TWO more seasons in The Horseshoe.