According to a story published by On3’s Pete Nakos on Tuesday, Ohio State’s 2025 roster is one of the most expensive in college football.
Nakos asked 17 stakeholders within college football, such as administrators, head coaches, general managers, NIL collectives and agents, “Which 10 programs do you believe spent the most money to build their 2025 roster?” 15 of the 17 stakeholders listed Ohio State as one of the biggest spenders in the sport; only Texas (17 votes) and Texas Tech (16 votes) were listed on more ballots.
Nakos reported the Buckeyes will spend more than $35 million for their 2025 roster, with star receiver Jeremiah Smith set to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in college football.
“On3 reported in January that Smith was offered 4.5 million to enter the portal,” Nakos wrote. “Sources said he’s expected to make more than that this season at Ohio State.”
Nakos featured a quote in the story from one general manager who inquired about the availability of the first-team All-American
“I’m not going to lie, we called about him, reached out to his people,” an unnamed general manager told Nakos. “They were like, ‘It’s going to have to be $7 million.’ And I was like, ‘Have a great day.’”
Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class was ranked No. 4 nationally by 247 Sports’ composite rankings, while its transfer portal class ranked No. 26. The Buckeyes, who reportedly spent $20 million on their national championship-winning 2024 roster, will open up their 2025 season with fellow big-spender Texas on Aug. 30.
