Jeremiah Smith: Five-Star WR Phenom’s Game-Changing Announcement Sends Recruiting World Into Frenzy

Ohio State’s record-setting wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is once again making headlines—this time off the field—as one of the two cover athletes for the highly anticipated EA Sports College Football 26 video game. The announcement, confirmed Tuesday morning by EA Sports, places the sophomore star alongside Alabama standout Ryan Williams on the standard edition cover, instantly vaulting Smith into the national pop-culture spotlight and adding a fresh chapter to his already impressive résumé. A breakout freshman season sets the stage Smith’s 2024 freshman campaign rewrote portions of the Ohio State record book, as he totaled 1,312 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors and finishing as a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. Those explosive numbers made him a natural candidate for the first installment of EA Sports’ college football series since 2013, a game eagerly awaited by fans who grew up with the franchise. What the cover means for Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) Being featured on the box art carries financial heft in the NIL era. Industry experts project that cover athletes can command six-figure endorsement packages tied to promotional events, merchandising, and digital in-game items. Smith already boasts partnerships with regional apparel retailers and a Columbus-based automobile group; the EA Sports collaboration could push his annual NIL earnings well past the seven-figure mark—an unprecedented haul for a second-year college player. Reaction from Buckeye Nation and beyond Ohio State head coach Ryan Day praised the decision, noting that Smith’s combination of production and professionalism “represents exactly what college football is all about.” Social-media engagement echoed the sentiment: within two hours of the reveal, #JeremiahSmith trended nationally on X, and Ohio State’s official hype video featuring in-game footage topped one million views on Instagram. Inside EA Sports’ selection process According to EA Sports producers, the company evaluated on-field performance, national brand appeal, and social-media reach before finalizing its cover duo. Smith and Williams impressed executives during on-site motion-capture sessions in Orlando, where both athletes provided voiceovers and signature touchdown celebrations expected to appear in the game’s “Road to Glory” mode. How the spotlight could shape Smith’s 2025 season While being on the cover historically invites jokes about a “video-game curse,” recent editions of Madden and NBA 2K have shown no real correlation between cover stardom and performance dips. Smith has spent the off-season adding five pounds of muscle and honing route precision with quarterback Devin Brown. The Buckeyes enter 2025 as preseason top-four contenders, and Smith is widely projected as a first-round pick should he declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. What gamers can expect on July 19 release day EA Sports confirmed that College Football 26 will launch on July 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Pre-order bonuses include an Ultimate Team pack featuring an 89-overall Jeremiah Smith card and an alternate scarlet-chrome Ohio State uniform inspired by the program’s 2014 championship run. Players who purchase the Deluxe Edition will gain early access on July 16, plus an “Elite Wideout Pack” headlined by Smith’s signature gloves and custom cleats. Looking ahead From a marketing standpoint, the cover announcement cements Jeremiah Smith as one of the most recognizable faces in college athletics. For Ohio State, it’s a valuable recruiting tool, showcasing the program’s ability to boost player brands on a national scale. For EA Sports, betting on a rising sophomore with NFL potential signals confidence that Smith’s star power will continue to soar. And for fans counting the days until kickoff—both real and virtual—the reveal adds yet another reason to keep Jeremiah Smith’s name at the top of their search results all summer long.