Will Ohio State’s top receivers be available when they play the team up north? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
As Ohio State prepares to travel to the big house to take on Michigan, the biggest question is will Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate be available for that game. While Ohio State has won 17 of the last 20 meetings, Ryan Day’s team is 1-4 against the Wolverines over the last four.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSmith was out of the lineup with a ‘lower body injury’ when the Buckeyes beat Rutgers. Carnell Tate, on the other hand has missed the last three games for a similarly vague “lower body injury”.
Smith through ten games has over 900 yards, 10 touchdowns and a 13-yards per reception average. Those are impressive numbers but objectively down from his 1,315 yards, 15 touchdowns and a 17 yards per reception average from 2024.
Comparatively, Carnell Tate through eight games has 711 yards, seven touchdowns and a conference leading 18.2 yards per reception. All told, Smith and Tate account for over 1,600 yards and 17 touchdowns by themselves in 2025.
Smith or Tate or both, might very well be needed and appreciated in this Ohio State vs Michigan game. In 2024, Ohio State lost that game in the Horseshoe by a pedestrian score of 13-10. In that game the Buckeyes only had 175 yards receiving on the day. In order to have the type of result Ohio State wants, after dropping three of the last four, they will need at least one of these receivers to be effective in that game.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to Fox Sports, Smith has shed some light on his injury status while Tate’s status is almost a complete mystery.
"I'm feeling good. Dealing with a little situation injury wise, but I should be good to go Saturday [against Michigan]," Smith on teammate Caleb Downs' podcast, "Downs 2 Business."
Head coach Ryan Day was far less committal when discussing the injury status of either receiver. As has been the case when asked about the health status, Day was intentionally vague.
"They are doing everything they can to play in the game. We'll see how today goes, but they're working really, really hard to get back on the field."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMere days out, it seems very likely that Smith will play and should be effective. According to the Scarlett and Game, there is optimism that Tate will play. However, if he doesn’t that would not be surprising given the time he’s been out. It could also create a Jaxson Smith-Njigba situation, effectively ending his time with the Buckeyes before preparing for the NFL.
Ohio State vs Michigan is set for this Saturday at Noon ET. The game will broadcast on Fox and the Big Noon Kickoff crew will be in Ann Arbor for the pregame festivities.
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