After arriving in Columbus to take on the role of offensive coordinator at Ohio State, Chip Kelly wasted no time getting started on the recruiting trail.
His first quarterback offer went to Brady Smigiel, a four-star prospect from Newbury Park, California. Smigiel had previously committed to Florida State in June.
Smigiel is now ranked among the top 50 recruits in the 2026 class, with teams continuing to target him in an effort to flip the California standout from Florida State. Ohio State is part of that group, and Kelly traveled to California on Saturday to meet with the quarterback.
Smigiel put together another impressive season in 2024 for Newbury Park. Leading the Panthers to a 14-1 record, he threw for 3,521 yards and 49 touchdowns to just three interceptions, per MaxPreps. He also ran for over 400 yards and 11 scores.
Across three seasons, Smigiel has already thrown for over 11,000 yards and 147 TDs. He significantly cut down on the turnovers as a junior and also got far more active on the feet.
Smigiel currently holds an On3 NIL Valuation of $331K, which serves as the industry’s leading index for estimating the projected annual value (PAV) of high school and college athletes. This valuation does not track the total value of NIL deals an athlete has secured but instead reflects their market value at a specific point in time.
