Upon landing in Columbus as the new offensive coordinator at Ohio State, Chip Kelly wasted no time hitting the recruiting trail.
His first big move? Offering a spot to Newbury Park (Calif.) four-star quarterback Brady Smigiel. Back in June, Smigiel committed to Florida State.
Now, he’s one of the top 50 recruits for 2026, and teams are lining up to try and sway him from the Seminoles. Ohio State is definitely in that mix, with Kelly even flying out to California last Saturday to chat with the young quarterback.
Smigiel had another amazing season in 2024 with Newbury Park. He led the Panthers to a 14-1 record, throwing for a whopping 3,521 yards and 49 touchdowns, with just three interceptions. Oh, and he also ran for over 400 yards and scored 11 times on the ground.
In his high school career so far, Smigiel’s thrown for over 11,000 yards and 147 touchdowns. He’s really worked on cutting down turnovers and has become a lot more active when running.
His On3 NIL Valuation is currently at $331K. In case you’re wondering, this valuation is an estimate of what high school and college athletes might be worth annually, not a tally of deals they’ve signed.
Smigiel Staying Steady with Florida State
Earlier this month, FSU head coach Mike Norvell and their new OC Gus Malzahn paid Smigiel a visit. Despite a rocky 2024, Norvell is a big reason Smigiel’s sticking with the ACC program.
“Coach Norvell is special,” Smigiel told Warchant. “Just reminded me why I committed. Being able to see him again, and we had some important questions that me and my family had that were answered as I expected. He reminds me a lot of my dad as a coach, and that’s one of the huge reasons I committed.”
Other schools are trying to get Smigiel to visit them too. In-state UCLA recently dropped by and is keen to win him over. Ohio State also wants to bring him back to Columbus for a visit.
Currently ranked as the No. 6 QB in the nation, Smigiel is one of six commits in FSU’s 2026 class. Meanwhile, Ohio State has four commitments, including Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei’s five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr.
So, what’s next for Smigiel? Will he stick with FSU or make a change? Only time will tell, but it’s gonna be exciting to watch!
