Jeremiah Smith wasn’t sure he’d even be able to suit up for Ohio State’s regular-season finale against Michigan. A strained rectus femoris - one of the key muscles in the quadriceps - had sidelined him for most of the previous two games. But when it came to The Game, Smith wasn’t about to let an injury keep him off the field.
The freshman phenom had gone down in practice leading up to the Buckeyes’ matchup with UCLA. He tried to gut it out, managing just three drives before shutting it down.
He missed the following week’s game against Rutgers entirely. With a typical recovery window of three to four weeks, the odds weren’t exactly in his favor for a return against Michigan.
But this wasn’t just any game. This was that game.
“After that Rutgers week, I was feeling down,” Smith admitted. “I was like, I don't know if I'm going to play against the team up north... but I had to do everything for the team, and I wanted to be out there.”
And out there he was. Not only did Smith return to the lineup, he made his presence felt - hauling in three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown in Ohio State’s 27-9 win over Michigan, their first victory over their archrival since 2019.
Head coach Ryan Day didn’t hold back in his praise for the young receiver’s effort.
“If people really knew what he went through to get himself healthy to play in that game, and then play the way he did without really practicing much that week, you'd be amazed,” Day said. “He just willed himself to be ready. It was tremendous.”
Smith wasn’t at full strength, and he’ll be the first to tell you that. But now, as Ohio State prepares for its College Football Playoff quarterfinal, he says he’s finally back to 100%.
“Going into that game, no, I was not 100%, I'm going to be completely honest with you,” he said. “Still was kind of banged up a little bit. But right now, I'm back healthy, fully healthy, so should be good to go.”
That’s welcome news for the Buckeyes - and bad news for Miami.
Smith’s next opponent just happens to be his hometown team. The Miami Gardens native has history with the Hurricanes, both from his recruiting days and from personal ties to players on the roster. And when Miami punched its ticket to the Cotton Bowl by knocking off Texas A&M, Smith made his excitement known with a not-so-subtle tweet: a smiling devil emoji, posted just minutes after the final whistle.
“I'm very excited to play the guys from back home,” Smith said. “It's like a second home for me.
I'm from there. I had a good relationship with all the coaches, a lot of the players on the team.
A lot of people I played with in high school.”
There’s another layer of motivation, too. Smith was left off the Biletnikoff Award list this year - an omission that didn’t go unnoticed.
After USC’s Makai Lemon took home the hardware, Smith posted a cryptic tweet that suggested he felt the snub. He’s since turned the page, but don’t think for a second he’s forgotten.
“Just use it as motivation,” Smith said. “Can’t think too much of it.
Makai Lemon is a great receiver, had a great season... Gonna be a first-round draft pick.
So I can’t really complain about it. I gotta just worry about what’s in front of me, and that’s beating Miami.”
That’s the mindset he’s carrying into the CFP: locked in, laser-focused, and ready to chase another national title. After falling short in the Big Ten Championship Game against Indiana, Smith and the Buckeyes are hungry to finish the season on the highest possible note.
That hunger has translated to practice, where Smith has been pushing for more - just like he did heading into last year’s CFP run. Back then, he told wide receivers coach Brian Hartline he wanted to be coached harder. Now, with Hartline stepping into his new role as head coach at USF, co-offensive coordinator Keenan Bailey has taken on more of the receiver coaching duties - and Smith’s message hasn’t changed.
“It’s time to crank it up a little bit,” Smith said. “Because now it’s time to win another natty around here.”
Even with the injury late in the year, Smith’s numbers have been elite: 80 catches, 1,086 yards, and 11 touchdowns. That production earned him unanimous All-American honors as just a sophomore - a testament to both his talent and his toughness.
And now that he’s healthy again, Ryan Day is expecting fireworks.
“He’ll be wired this week, that’s for sure,” Day said. “When you have an opportunity to coach somebody like Jeremiah, it’s special. We knew in high school what he was, and everything we talked about in recruiting - you’re seeing it happen.”
Day spoke glowingly of Smith’s growth, his family, and the way he’s lived up to every bit of the hype.
“This game will be important to him,” Day said.
That much is clear. Jeremiah Smith is healthy, motivated, and heading into a College Football Playoff showdown with something to prove - to Miami, to the voters, and maybe most of all, to himself.