In football, they’re called unicorns — those extraordinary players who have a toolbox of skills that make them not only versatile on the field, but a rare phenomenon to witness. Football unicorns make people stop and stare in wonder, incredulous at the feat they just saw them perform.
Jaylon Smith was a football unicorn.
An Indiana native, Smith won four state championships at Fort Wayne’s Bishop Luers High School and the title of Indiana Mr. Football. At Notre Dame, he was an elite, generational linebacker, widely considered one of the best in school history. Smith won the 2015 Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker and was a 2014 Second Team All-American.
As the 2016 NFL Draft approached, Smith was projected, almost universally, to be a top-five pick.
That was before his foot got caught up in the turf during the first quarter of the last game of his college career at the Fiesta Bowl in January 2016. That was before an Ohio State player pushed him after a fumble, causing Smith to land on his left knee, which bent in a way that defied human anatomy.
Smith suffered severe injuries, a torn ACL and a torn LCL/MCL.
His NFL stock plummeted.
The Dallas Cowboys took Smith 34th overall in the second round of the NFL Draft, with $4.4 million guaranteed. A top five pick would have secured $23 million to $28 million in a four-year rookie deal at the time, according to Forbes.
“That (injury) cost him $18 million coming out,” says Michael V. Ledo, a longtime mentor and financial advisor to Smith.
Yet, in what defied all injury odds, Smith went on to have a successful NFL career, despite nerve damage that some said meant he would never play again.
Smith was a 2019 Pro Bowler who played 88 NFL games, primarily with Dallas from 2017 to 2021. He was a tackling machine, recording three consecutive seasons with more than 100. In his career, he had 626 tackles, 11 sacks and six forced fumbles.
But what most didn’t know about Smith, as he was deeply embedded in his NFL playing days, was that he was quietly learning and toiling over the inner workings of investing, off the field. And Smith wasn’t just a student, he was making his own financial moves.
Which leads to Smith, not just a football unicorn, but a unicorn investor. During his final season with Dallas in 2021, Smith put $100,000 into Oura Ring, a smart ring that tracks health, wellness, sleep and fitness.
“I was very passionate about the health and wellness space, especially around COVID,” Smith says. “That’s something that really intrigued me. And I invested right away. And I was a believer.”
Oura is now one of the most recognized performance and health-tech platforms in the world, “and that position just delivered nearly a 10x return and a 56% IRR at an $11B valuation,” according to a report from Rise Family Office, which was founded by Ledo, who is also the CEO.
What that means for Smith, in layman’s terms, is that the $100,000 he invested in 2021 turned into $1 million in 2026. He recently exited Oura, taking his earnings with him.
“In the investment world, a unicorn is anytime you’ve got a company that’s went to a billion dollar valuation or they’ve had a 10x on your money,” Ledo says. “Jay put a hundred thousand, and he made a million in five years, which is crazy. That’s not normal.”
Smith is putting that money into his Jinya Ramen Bar locations. He has the rights to Indiana, with eight to 10 restaurants planned, as well as locations in Illinois. His first bar opened in July 2025 on the Notre Dame campus, and was recently voted the best restaurant in South Bend.
Beyond ramen, Smith has many other investments, 21 to be exact. He has been steadily building a portfolio spanning Sam’s Club eyewear distribution, real estate, franchise ownership, his insurance agency and more.
“And that is why he’ll never go cash poor, because he’s not trying to live on what he did for 10 years in the league to last forever,” Ledo says. “His kids are going to be able to hear about him playing football but be proud of seeing the kind of father and leader he is day to day, just not living on his past.”
First, there was Burger King
By the time Smith was 11, he wanted to be an entrepreneur. He may not have known exactly what that meant but he knew he wanted to one day own some kind of cool business and make a lot of money off of it.
He also wanted to be an elite athlete.
When Smith was 14, he found someone who would be a mentor to him in both realms. At the time, Ledo ran an athletic training company in Fort Wayne called AWP, Athletes with Purpose. Hundreds of kids came through the program, 200 went to college, 100 to Division I, 15 to the NFL, and Smith was the best of all of them, Ledo says.
Soon, Ledo wasn’t just talking to Smith about football. He was talking to him about life and everything it would take to be successful, including finances.
“He really taught me the essence or the importance of thinking at a very young age,” Smith says, “thinking beyond the game and searching to find my purpose beyond athletics.”
The winter of his senior year of high school, after winning his fourth state championship in football, Smith opted out of playing basketball for his final season and took a job at Burger King. He wanted to get a taste of what it was like to work in the real world, outside of sports.
“I got a chance to learn and practice service over sales and really nurturing my gift for putting smiles on people’s faces,” Smith says. “And that’s when I began to (think about my future).”
One night, after his shift at Burger King, Smith went home and Googled “athletes who have had the most financial success after sports.” That’s when he first learned of Junior Bridgeman, who died last year with a net worth of $1.4 billion.
As he played in the NBA in the 1970s and 1908s, during the off seasons, Bridgeman worked with an expert to learn how to become a restaurateur. After the NBA, Bridgeman became one of the few professional athletes to achieve billionaire status, building his fortune through restaurants, Wendy’s, Coca-Cola bottling and media ownership.
“So, that was at 17 years old. That was my inspiration of, ‘That’s who I want to be like,'” Smith says. “And then it just kind of went from there.”
From there, Smith went to Notre Dame, a university with rigorous academic standards that top most non-Ivy League schools. He soaked in everything he could in his classes to help him when his playing days were over.
As soon as Smith was drafted in the NFL, he went to Rise Family Office, a company that caters to athletes and entertainers, helping them secure a future even after the fame ends.
Smith didn’t want to be one of those NFL players who went broke after years in the league. He joked that the NFL stood for “Not For Long.” And so, that’s how Smith operated.
“What made Jaylon unique,” Ledo says, “was always his coachability, his curiosity and his desire to want to learn, not just about football.”
‘Indiana is home for me’
Smith was back in Indiana last month “doing some sightseeing” for Jinya, and says he found a couple of locations he’s really excited about. As more of his ramen noodle bars sprout up in central Indiana, Smith has a recommended favorite dish for Jinya newcomers.
The Impossible Tacos, a plant-based appetizer featuring Impossible Meat, guacamole and cilantro, served on wonton taco shells.
“And then any of our ramen. We’ve got vegan options, we’ve got shrimp options, we’ve got chicken, pork, whatever you desire, we have,” Smith says. “We’ve got rice bowls, but our broth is second to none.”
Smith has quickly become a rising star in the world of investors, Ledo says. And that comes from his years of working, off the field, to learn what it takes to be an operations leader, a sales guy, a promoter and an all-around business guru.
Of course, football will always be Smith’s first love. “You gotta throw in that I won four state championships,” he says, laughing as the interview about finances, returns and portfolios ends.
Smith’s Indiana roots, his other love, will always be with him, he says, and it is a place where he plans to make his mark for years to come.
“I’m proud to be an Indiana legend, and I am passionate about my presence being all through the state, to touch the kids, to inspire and to educate,” Smith says. “That’s really one of my goals. I never want to be the guy who made it out and never came back home. Indiana is home for me.”
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: From Oura Rings to ramen bars, Jaylon Smith, 30, is now a millionaire ‘unicorn investor’
Reporting by Dana Hunsinger Benbow, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
