CFB Insider: Ohio State Players 'Heard the Noise' About $20M Roster Ahead of CFP Win

Ohio State overcame adversity in the form of losses to Oregon and then arch-rival Michigan to roll through the College Football Playoff and emerge as national champions on Monday with a 34-23 win over Notre Dame.

It appears that the Buckeyes heard some criticisms along the way, specifically about the team's $20 million NIL roster, per Cameron Teague Robinson of The Athletic:

"The players had to learn how to block out the criticism and just play football. They heard the noise but had to ignore the comments about the $20 million roster that were thrown out after each loss."

Per On3's rankings of NIL valuations, Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith leads the way at $4 million. He was well worth it with 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, including five scores during the Buckeyes' four-game CFP run.

Safety Caleb Downs ($2.3 million) also fared well this year with 48 tackles and a pair of interceptions, including one against Texas in the CFP semifinals. He helped Ohio State finish with the league's top scoring defense.

Quarterback Will Howard may have turned out to be Ohio State's most valuable NIL add, though, at a reported $1.2 million. The Kansas State transfer finished with 35 passing touchdowns and 4,010 passing yards. He was phenomenal in the national championship with 231 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-21 passing in addition to 57 rushing yards.

Overall, it was money well spent for Ohio State, which earned its first national championship since 2014 and ninth overall.