Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith bought insurance ahead of College Football Playoff | Report

Jeremiah Smith has taken his first season at Ohio State by storm, putting the star freshman on pace to be one of the Buckeyes’ top wide receivers of all time — and potentially the No. 1 overall pick of the NFL draft by the time he is done in Columbus.

In order to ensure that, Smith’s family has taken out permanent total disability insurance (PTD) ahead of the College Football Playoff, according to a report from CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd.

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Smith is not eligible to declare for the draft until after his junior year at Ohio State, which would make the 2027 NFL draft the earliest he could leave. His insurance lasts until Aug. 1, 2027 or when he signs an NFL contract — whichever comes first — per Dodd.

Per Dodd, Smith’s insurance policy protects him from a career-ending injury both on and off the field, and is with Leverage Disability and Life Insurance, a Southern California-based athlete insurance firm. He does not have loss of draft value (LOV) coverage as part of his policy, per Dodd.

“If this kid steps off the curb and gets hit by a car, he’s covered,” Greenspoon Marder law firm’s head of insurance recovery Richard Giller told CBS Sports.

Dodd, citing sources, reported it is rare for freshmen to receive permanent total disability insurance. In addition, Dodd reported Smith’s premiums cost is $7,500-$8,000 per million of coverage, citing additional sources.

A player receiving insurance has become more common for players over the years, especially in bowl games. A most recent example is Colorado taking out full insurance for its players, including Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.

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Outside of a quiet CFP Cotton Bowl semifinal against Texas, against whom he finished with just one catch for 3 yards on three targets, Smith has impressed during the Buckeyes’ CFP championship run.

In the Buckeyes’ first two CFP games against Tennessee and Oregon, Smith combined for 290 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 13 catches. Smith enters Monday’s CFP championship vs. No. 7 Notre Dame with 1,227 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns on 71 catches on the season.

Shortly after Ohio State’s win over Oregon, ESPN football analyst Dan Orlovsky said if Smith were eligible for April’s NFL draft, he would be the No. 1 pick and “it wouldn’t even be close.”

“He would easily be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft,” Orlovsky said on Jan. 2. “You will have teams in two years, for that ’27 draft, tanking for him.”

No. 8 Ohio State will play No. 7 Notre Dame in the CFP championship on Jan. 20. The Buckeyes opened up as a -9.5 point early favorite on BetMGM.