Andy & Ari On3 - TAMPERING for Ohio State's TOP TALENT? Buckeyes trying to retain WRs Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate

Episode Date: January 24, 2025

As Ohio State is just a few days removed from its national championship, the Buckeyes are now looking to keep the key pieces from its championship team. Tampering has been a subject of every offseason, and now, it ramps up even more as On3's Pete Nakos reports that some lucrative offers have been extended to WRs Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. Listen here as Andy & Ari discuss. Watch our live video here: https://youtube.com/live/fD_5LV_2Ays Hosts: Andy Staples, Ari WassermanProducer: River Bailey

You know the old saying if you ain't tampering you ain't trying. Maybe that's the new saying. Welcome to special edition of Andy and Ari on three tampering edition. I already blow the horn again. It's firing me up. That's the emergency show horn. There it is. There it is.

So Pete Naco's our guy dropped a big story on Friday and we got to coordinate with Pete to drop the stories like before our show so we don't end up missing and then having to come back. But this is a big one and we, we, we came back to talk about this because it's very interesting and very of the moment in college football. So Pete's reporting that Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith has a four and a half million dollar plus offer to go somewhere else. And that's per year. And then Cardinal Tate, another receiver at Ohio State has a one million plus offer to go somewhere else. And this got me thinking about just how close it's like the mini NFL salary structure. It is kind of the compressed NFL salary structure.

Cause you know, we follow the NFL contract talks and you have their, your guys on a rookie deal and that's your window when your quarterback's on the rookie deal and then they get that second deal and all of a sudden your great quarterbacks and receivers and edge rushers are taking up giant chunks of your salary cap. Well, there's no salary cap in college football, but there's not an unlimited amount of money. And even Ohio State has to figure out how to spend its money Ari. So how do you handle a situation like this? Okay, so I have my preconceived notions on or opinions on this. And we talked about it for 31 seconds on the phone before we

decided to go live about a half hour ago. And I want you to hear my point and I want you to convince me on why you're on the other side. Okay, because I am. I don't know that I'm directly opposed to you. I think we're in slightly different places, but go ahead. I also am willing and ready to be swayed. Okay, I don't know how passionate I feel about this, but in the event that somebody will pay Jeremiah Smith four and a half million dollars to go there per year and Ohio State doesn't match or come reasonably close to that. Why wouldn't the man leave? Because I understand that Brian Hartline is one of the best,

if not the best receivers coach in college football. I understand that Ohio State has resources and an ability to win a national title on all the things that anybody could ever want. That said, Jeremiah Smith already won a national title, performed well in the national championship game, could go play for Duncanville High School for the next two years and get drafted in the first round. Why wouldn't somebody in his position, and I want you to change my mind on this, take four and a half million dollars,

nine million over the next two years while waiting to be drafted after winning the national title already. Like explain that to me. Like what what's your show? Turn that money down at this point and in his development as a receiver. Well, I never even thought about him actually turning the money down. So you because Ohio State gets to pay how much do they get? OK, I know, but like what do they have to get to before you? Do they have to get the two? Do they have to get the three? Where do how much money do they have to spend for him not to leave your mind before you? Before you get me on this. I want to I want to tell everybody what you said

You said if I were Jeremiah Smith and said and the Naval Academy offered me four and a half million dollars. I would take it We're assuming you're not gonna change their office into the military, of course. Right, right, right. Well, it was more a joke about they run the option, they don't throw a lot. So, yeah, that was the joke. But like at the same time too, it's like Jeremiah Smith is a first round pick. Yeah. Does it matter who his coach is the next two years or where he plays? Barring injury, he is a first round pick. So I think you and I are coming at this from a different place.

You're assuming Ohio State's not going to come close. I think you just have to- I'm saying if they don't- You have to come reasonably close. And what's that in your mind? What number is that? $4 million. Or $4 million this year, $4 million this year, $6 4 million this year 6 million next year

See like this is the thing like I disagree with this fundamentally in the chat His environment matters. I don't know that it does in this case It probably doesn't for Jeremiah Smith. Jeremiah Smith will be the first receiver off the board in the 2027 draft no matter where he plays and will be the first receiver off the board in the 2027 draft, no matter where he plays. And he might be the first player off the board in the 2027 draft, no matter where he plays. But.

Do you know what's funny? Hmm. At the beginning of the year when we were talking, like just messing around and getting to know each other again, I brought up this very scenario. I said, at the end of the year, if Jeremiah Smith gets offered x number of dollars to leave Ohio State and it's already clear. He's a first-round pick.

Why would he stay? And the reason why I use Jeremiah Smith in that made-up scenario is is because he is one of the few players in college football that is good and sends it and where they are and who's coaching them. He is a generational talent. He does not need Ohio State to make him a first-round pick anymore.

It's over. Now, here's the thing. Here's the thing. He may like being need Ohio State to make him a first round pick anymore. It's over. Now here's the thing. Here's the thing. He may like being at Ohio State and that's why if they get close and look, but there's no conversation if they get close. That's not what we're talking about. If they get close, that's the thing. Do you think they won't get close like that?

Of course, they're going to get close. It's a freaking Ohio State. Okay, then then shut the video off well no there's more to this there's more to this because he's not the only one involved here yeah i know i know but but but he's the name he's the guy but here's the thing it ties into what i've been telling you about you can never have another super team because here's the deal. If you've got to spend an extra million to keep Jeremiah Smith and it costs you

carnel Tate, good luck carnel, but nice knowing you, but here is where it gets tricky. Okay. Carnail Tate. You could make the reasonable case still needs Ohio state. Carnell Tate, you could make the reasonable case still needs Ohio State. Carnell Tate still needs to be, but he can't be wide receiver one at Ohio State. I understand that, but Emeka Egbuka wasn't wide receiver one this year, and he's going to be fine.

Like it doesn't matter where you are. Where can Carnell Tate go where he can be wide receiver one? How many schools? A hundred? A hundred ten? Sure. But I'm saying he is not a first round pick yet. where he can be wide receiver one. How many schools? 100 110. Sure. But I'm saying he is not a first round pick yet. So you have to temper your expectations with that. Like with Jeremiah, it doesn't matter because he is not he is a made first round pick. It's over. There's no more development. Not saying he can't

get better that coaching won't help him. But also here's the other thing are he is a made first round pick. He's going to make that amount of money. As much as a half a million dollars difference to you or me would have would be massive and might sway us. I don't know that it matters as much to him. So Jeremiah, that other money's coming. If you're happy where you are and you feel like you're getting developed at

Ohio state, you can, you can give them a little hometown discount. Oh, for sure. I'm saying if Ohio State offered him three eight and he wanted to stay then you're making three eight but I'm saying if it's a two and a half or two, two million dollars. But it's not gonna be this is Ohio State Ari we got a little bit of reality here. This is an absurd, absurd, absurd amount. Is it really? What is Justin Jefferson make? Yeah, in comparison to the NFL, it's not what he makes $35 million a year. The NFL salary cap is about seven times what we thought. I know.

I'm just saying spinning on its roster. This is exactly in line with what Jeremiah Smith should be making. I don't want to compare compare him to Justin Jefferson. I want to compare him to the highest paid quarterback in college football. That's that's the league he's in. We're not talking about the NFL. He's better than the highest paid quarterback in college football. That's the league he's in. We're not talking about the NFL. He's better than the highest paid quarterback in college football and... And is he more important? I would say yes.

Because if you think he's more important than the number one quarterback, then he should set the market. But I do think it is an outweighed, it's the biggest number that we've seen in NIL reporting, right? Have you seen a bigger number than that for anyone? No. Yeah, Carson Beck, Darian Minsa. Carson Beck is taking more than 4 and 1 half mil next year? The number we got for Carson Beck was pretty high. Well, I would rather buy Jeremiah Smith than that.

100%. Yeah, if that's where we're at now, I was always under the impression that the NIL numbers for the elite quarterbacks were in between one and two million a year so if it's higher than that now and then revshare came in and they went up so okay let's get back to the interesting part though the interesting part hey Ari can I help you? Because you're not reading your text messages. Oh, fix your mic. What's wrong with it? What's wrong with it?

Just change the source. I just checked it's on it. OK, good. Very nice. I've got enough mic issues. You don't have to make them up now, OK? All right, here's the deal. I text buddy. I'm in I'm in I'm in conversation.

Heaven. You're flowing. I know you're flowing. Check my messages. Here's the deal. Ohio State needs to pay whatever it needs to pay to keep JJ Smith. If that cost them somebody. Oh well. And that is going to be the new reality. Getting people to stay is going to be the priority when they are the most important and they're going to eat a lot of your salary cap. I realize there's no salary cap, but they're going to eat a lot of your payroll. And you got to figure out. How to build your roster, maybe without some other folks. So that's what I'm interested to see.

Does Cardinal Tate stay to. Jeremiah is going to stay at Ohio State. I'm telling you right now, he's gonna stay there. Here's the thing with Carnell. If you take the million dollars and go somewhere else and become wide receiver one, there is the thought process that if you do that, your development as a receiver, you can make this case, will not be as drastic or as beneficial in the NFL eyes. Like Ohio State, I think you can say,

is the best place in America right now to be a receiver in terms of your draft stock and your ability to be developed. So for a million dollars, which is life-changing amount of money, especially if it's a two-year period, is the opportunity cost of going to a place for an extra five,

because he's probably making a half a million already. Oh, I would think he's making good money, yeah. So if he's making good money already and he has a million dollar offer, is the discount that you're getting at Ohio State going to be outweighed by a offer that might actually mean he makes less in the long run. Like with Jeremiah Smith,

if he maximizes his income potential at this point in his career, he will maximize the every cent that he can make in college and still make the same amount as a pro no matter where he is. That's not true for Carnell. So when he decides where he's gonna end end up or what he's going to take right now, if I were him, I would probably go to the place that helps me make the most money long term, not the most money in the next year, which is a far more complicated decision than what Jeremiah Smith has to do. Smith has to do right? It's the Jameson Williams decision. Like remember Jameson Williams and this is this is an unusual situation, but this

is how good receivers coach Brian Hartline is because this keeps happening. But Jameson Williams was behind Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jackson Smith and Jigba or was in a room with them and had to go to Alabama to get some run and winds up a first round draft pick. Now, let me ask you this, Ari. If you were Cardinal Tate, are you concerned that Quincy Porter, the five-star wide receiver recruit from New Jersey, who's six, three and a half, 200 pounds and also considered to be really good and potentially awesome. Are you worried that that person might come in and jump you because JJ Smith came in and jumped you. Yeah. Well, Quincy Porter's a really, really good receiver prospect.

JJ is in a world of his own and he was. I understand that, but if you are carnel tate, I am asking you that because carnel tate can go and be wide receiver one at 110, 115 places. Well, here's the carnel tate thing where it gets spicy. Let's go through the teams that need a receiver. Let's go through the teams that need a receiver. Miami could use one after losing George and Restrepo. Oregon, Oregon, but they have Evan Stewart coming back. They have a home run hitter. Georgia. Yes, Tennessee, Florida, Penn State, Florida, Notre Dame.

So we're not talking about him going to like. Tier B places like if somebody wants him to be wide receiver one, like being wide receiver, like that's the question. Would you rather be wide receiver one at Georgia or wide receiver two at Ohio State with a national championship ring already? Now, either way, get can make you a first round draft pick. Like wide receiver two at Ohio State, and Mecca Bucca is probably a first round draft pick.

So wide receiver two at Ohio State proven multiple times that you can be a first round draft pick as wide receiver two at Ohio State. And the second part of this is what we talked about on the pod today, which is all the best receivers in college football. Most of them were high school signees. So does that make your market value in this era, as a receiver who can get

open? I'm sure the premium for that, like, I bet you he could squeeze more money than he's been offered. Because he's got a he's at a position scarcity situation. And he's really fine. He's big a, he's at a position scarcity situation and he's really freaking good and he's big and he's caught big passes on the biggest stage. Like I, so the question I have for you is just to get this out of the way. Sure.

Jeremiah Smith, you pay no matter what. If you're Ohio state, you don't allocate those funds. Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. Five mil and spread it around a little bit more. Because like, would you rather have Carnell Tate, you're starting left tackle and you're starting edge rusher. I'm making this up.

Or would you rather have JJ Smith? Like I think that's the game we're going to have to play here. Jay, it is. It's and that is like that is what NFL teams have to do as soon as their quarterback gets off his rookie contract. Like, how do we handle this? How do we do, do we pay or like we talk about the Cowboys where they had to pay. They paid DAC, they paid CD lamb, they're paying Micah Parsons.

What else? They can't afford anybody else. Like this is, this is uncharted territory too, because like you look at JJ Smith in carnel Tate. They're like Ohio state legends now. Like wouldn't it be strange if Jeremiah Smith was just on Miami next year after well, he's, he's not going anywhere. When just as we started this video, he tweeted, uh, somebody, uh, Jay Wimbrough tweets,

"'Ain't gonna happen that family is too loyal' and Jeremiah Smith retweets it with the 100 emoji. So, Jeremiah Smith's not going anywhere. Jeremiah Smith is going to be barely compensated at Ohio State. And, you know, Ryan Day was on the Dan Patrick Show talking about that. And he said, this is what he said,

I think the first thing you have to do is bring in great people and great families, but you also have to value them and try to do everything you can to get what they deserve and what's fair. There's also something to be said for being around a program like ours, and if you think it's all equal,

we'll have our chance to get our share of guys. But it is different, there's no question. I think as coaches, we're all looking for a little bit more guidelines on this. Everything is so gray right now. Now, the good thing for Ryan Day is Ohio State has plenty of resources. They will make sure that J.J. Smith gets a fair offer. Like, he wanted to worry about that. But I think this ties into what I was saying the last few weeks, and I got a lot of pushback on this being this past Ohio State team, the one we just saw in the national title being the last of the super teams, you are seeing it play out in real time right now, why you can't build another team like that. Because when you have a JJ Smith, you have to make sure you keep him. And it might cost you others.

The better you are, and the more games that you win, the more expensive it becomes. That's exactly right. And so even though there is no salary cap, like I said, there's no money, unlimited money tree. Everybody's got their limit. And so Ohio State and Georgia and Alabama have got to figure out how to deal with that. How to deal with that? Yeah. Bulletproof. So says what you also don't get is JJ Smith's NIL isn't tied to the collective. There are major corporate sponsors in Columbus like Kroger Nationwide Insurance will take care of. It's not even that.

JJ Smith is so good and so transcendent that he qualified and there are very few college football players who reach escape velocity and qualify for national campaigns. You saw Travis Hunter last year. J.J. Smith does. He's that good. Yeah, no, I'm with you. And like that's the thing too with Ohio State. And we do understand it. I lived there for 10 years. I know how many how many major Fortune 500 companies are there. And it's just like, and like, that's the thing too. And I don't want to like blast this off

into a completely different direction, but like I do wonder if part of the reason why the SEC was not as dominant this year is the beginning effects of the fact that they're all in small Southern towns and the Northern schools are in places that have fortune 500 companies headquartered there, right? I don't even think it. I don't even think it's that Ari. I think it's more simple than that. Look at the size of the alumni bases in the Big 10. Well, it's not just that. If the SEC, it's just more potential donors period. Is it it fair to say though that everybody cheated but like the SEC cheated more?

Better. Cheated better. Cheated better is the way I'd say it. But however you want to phrase it, they were more efficient in getting- The Big Ten schools always got caught because they were bad at it. So right, so follow me there. Yeah. They were more efficient, they were better, whatever adjective you want to use.

Right, but what 40 grand in a duffel bag used to get you doesn't get you squat anymore. Exactly. And now everybody can pay and you have Kroger and nationwide insurance and all these fortune 500 companies in Columbus. And it's like, all of a sudden duffel bag boy in Knoxville ain't going to do shit for you. Whatever. And like, shit for you. Whatever, and I know that Knoxville has been the league leading NIL. Knoxville and Nashville, Knoxville they got money. Nashville is a huge, fast growing city. Now that's not it. That's money. So they all have-

Purely Tennessee territory either. They all have corporate America money? There's corporations in Nashville, but they're not all purely Tennessee Territory. But like what about like Alabama? There's also a little town called Atlanta. It's a pretty big town. There's a town called Miami.

Tampa. They have big cities too. So you don't think there's anything to like the decline of the fact that like the SEC cheated better more efficiently than the Big Ten. Everybody can play by those rules now and the Big Ten just better. I just said the Big Ten better more efficiently than the big 10. Everybody can play by those rules now. And the big 10 just better.

I just said the big 10 has more potential donors. They have massive alumni bases. So that edge is gone. They're all, yeah, 100%. That's all I was getting at 100%. And the edge for the top three or four, because one of the things that happened in, and it was really recently, it was, it was really like 2008, 2009 when it started. And it's basically over because

the NIL era, but this super team concept where before people would just kind of go to the schools that were near their houses. Some, some guys would go across the country, but not many. But as seven on seven became more popular, had these national tournaments, and then you had these recruiting events staged by companies like ours, where these guys would get together over and over as high schoolers and make friendships

and be like, we should all play at the same school. Well, that same school was almost always Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, and then in the later period, Georgia, like there was only room for a few of those. Now, because there's money to be had, there's other places where you can play like Arkansas has tons of money. Michigan State has tons of money. There are places you can go where you can get paid really well and play right now rather than sitting and it is diluted the talent base at those schools and will continue to.

Yeah, I mean, that's the column if carnell tate transfers out of Ohio State like that day that happens like someone's got to be on it, right? Like I got I've already it's already up here yeah I mean I got it we can roll through it right the same thing at the same time um but like no problem people read it that's the thing that's the thing so um yeah I uh am not surprised by I mean Kenny Dilligan was talking about this at the playoff yeah and he's got to deal with it on a different level

because they don't have the resources Ohio State has. It's like, yeah, well, yeah, we just made this awesome run and everybody got a taste of success and stuff. And it's like, well, guess what, guys, step up. It just got more expensive because everyone wants our players now. Like that's how it's going to be. And like, here's the thing about Cardinal Tate.

It's not just financial with him. It's also the depth chart. Like people don't exactly be jammed Exactly playing a lot the number two and if you're concerned Pretty yeah, if you're concerned about anybody else and there and remember Ohio State Has a lot of good players You know Brandon Ennis is there too. Yeah, he was a five-star wasn't here a high-end for he was a he was a very high-end recruit so everybody's got there too. Yeah, he was a five star wasn't he or a high end for he was a he was a very high end recruit.

So everybody's got guys and if you are not like especially receivers, you're not wide receiver one like in Ohio State, you can be wide receiver two and you'd be just fine. Alabama, you can be wide receiver two like the other place you can be wide receiver two and you've seen people go first round as wide receiver two at those places. But if you're not entirely sure you're you can be wide receiver two. And you've seen people go first round as wide receiver two at those places. But if you're not entirely sure you're gonna be wide receiver two and you can go somewhere else and be guaranteed to be wide receiver one,

you have to think about that. Andy, Ohio States, and I just looked this up while you were talking, Ohio State's entire receiving core next year, as it stands right now, are all top 40 players nationally. Heartland's a dog, dude. Quincy Porter, Milan Graham, Brandon Ennis, Jeremiah Smith, and who am I forgetting? Oh, carnel take care of state

and right now. Yeah, like they're all that's pretty crazy. Heartland's a dog. Think about it is like there's five teams that were in the playoff this year that would die for just one of those guys. Well, I don't know how to break this to you, but they're probably trying to get them. Penn State probably trying to get them to go into the Spring Portal. Kazari and what do we say at the beginning? Tennessee put that back up, put that back up River, Tennessee, Texas. Yep. Penn State and Georgia.

All of them would die for a top number one receiver. Indiana would love them too. And like I know Indiana is a little bit different, but I felt like, I felt like if one of those receivers, like if Carnell Tate was on Penn State, they would have made the championship game. If Carnell Tate was on Notre Dame, they would have been more competitive in the national title game. If Carnell Tate was on Georgia, Georgia wouldn't have lost to Notre Dame.

If Carnell Tate was on, who am I forgetting, Tennessee, they might have been more competitive with Ohio State. Like, it's like, a lot of these teams, their number one ailment is what Ohio State like it's like a lot of these teams are number one Ailment is what Ohio State has a wealth of of excess in Ari that sound you just heard is Colonel Tate's agent sending you a fruit basket. Yeah Well, I don't really like he stays in Ohio State or goes to door goes into the portal It's all gonna work out really well for him

We are a discuss melon and how crappy of a fruit that is, or do you want to get out of here? We do not need to discuss that. Okay, that that that is a that is an hour and a half into a Friday show kind of situation. If you order a fruit basket or a fruit cup at any restaurant and it's filled with melon, you got scammed. That's the poverty of fruit. Carnell Tate's agent. You're hearing this already wants a lot of key. hearing this. Ari wants a lot of kiwi.

I want an adabella. Ari wants a lot of kiwi in his fruit basket that you're going to send him. Okay. What did we learn today? If you ain't tampering, you ain't trying. We'll talk to you again soon.