College football is a standalone microcosm of the sports realm. It’s got flash and money adjacent to pro leagues across the world. Yet, it’s uniquely not the top echelon of its own game. The NFL is, across the board, a touch above. The gap has shrunk, though, at least in terms of finances. Quite frankly, the introduction of NIL has blurred the lines. Try imagining this rather unfathomable scenario. Jeremiah Smith, heading into his sophomore year in college, has more sitting in his bank A/C than a 13-year NFL vet who made $80 million in his career. Well, it’s actually a fact. We’re just as stunned as you.

How does a teenager make more money than a bona fide legend who made 6x Pro Bowls? For starters, you could unanimously be considered a generational talent. You could garner the reverence and captivation of the country en route to being the best player on a national champion. Heck, you could even become the most prolific freshman receiver of all time, statistically. But can you take your stature, your medal, and your stats to buy bread? Turns out you can buy the whole damn bakery. The NIL era is here, folks, and Jeremiah Smith is exemplifying it. 

Jeremiah Smith, alongside Ohio State teammate Carnell Tate and now ex-teammate Emeka Egbuka, guested on the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast. During the podcast, the receiving corps was put on the spot by host and retired NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Now, people usually don’t like talking about finances on these podcasts, and for good reason. The prejudice and discourse online can be scathing. However, maybe the WR-nexus softened Jeremiah Smith. After Marshall asked Egbuka to see what his bank balance read, he averted the question and asked Marshall to ask Jeremiah instead. He hesitated, but after BM promised he wouldn’t air it out, Jeremiah Smith complied. Let’s just say the result was something that no one in that room saw coming.

“I want to see this NIL money. That’s crazy,” said Brandon Marshall in jest as Jeremiah pulled out his phone. “Y’all make more money than half the receivers in the league. They probably hate y’all!” What Marshall likely didn’t see coming was the full extent of how crazy said NIL money is. He read the figure and showed Jeremiah Smith his own, and they both burst into laughter that was undercut by a certain level of awkwardness. “Yo! Jeremiah got more money than me!” exclaimed Brandon Marshall. “And I know that’s [just] one account!” The two proceeded to slip into an extended silence. That cliché about silence speaking louder than words has never resounded more.

Listen, Jeremiah Smith deserves everything that has come his way. He’s already the best receiver in CFB and was a key to the operation that won the Natty. The scary part is he’s only going to ascend to new levels. By extension, so will his finances. If he’s indeed already got more money on him than Brandon Marshall, the masses probably still haven’t grasped the full extent of NIL. Conversely, it raises a level of concern around the retired vet. At a time when financial literacy among athletes is given paramount importance.

Is Brandon Marshall having less money than Jeremiah Smith a concern?

Sports are a short career. Football, even shorter. These athletes, no matter how great they are, have a small window to maximize their wealth. Brandon Marshall enjoyed a career longer than 90% of his contemporaries. He earned north of $80 million across his career. He was one of the trailblazers when it comes to athletes foraying into the media. Marshall was a presenter on Inside the NFL while he was still a player. The aforementioned podcast has over a million subscribers on YouTube. Yet, he is trumped at this current juncture by Jeremiah Smith. How?

Marshall did get into his fair share of legal trouble in the past. Those tend to sap money out like nothing else. He may even have had investments go wrong. The exact reasons why Brandon Marshall would seemingly not have the money you’d expect him to have are inconspicuous. You can only hope this isn’t a trend going forward. But signs are that it could be.

Pocket-watching is an epidemic that has infested the world. Social media has only fanned the flames of it. There’s more money going around than ever before, and the sports sphere is invariably benefitting from that. Jeremiah has been a victim of this epidemic in the past. People have just got to learn to live with these evolving times. With at least 2 more seasons to benefit from NIL, Jeremiah Smith is going to be a made man before he’s even turned pro. That’s bizarre but true. When you’re as good as him, it’s only right.