Ohio State Star Jeremiah Smith Makes Passionate Promise About Michigan Rivalry

Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and the Ohio State Buckeyes each had a remarkable 2024 season. Smith was arguably the nation's top receiver in his first collegiate season, while Ohio State went 14–2 and won the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.

And yet, it wasn't quite a perfect season in Columbus.

Ohio State stubbed its toe twice along the way, most notably in a 13–10 home loss to a Michigan team that should have been overmatched on paper. Smith scored a touchdown in the game, but was held to five catches for 35 yards, his third-lowest receiving output of the season.

While Buckeyes fans will certainly celebrate the national title for years to come, the Ohio State-Michigan game means more than just about every other sports rivalry in the country, and coach Ryan Day's struggles against the Wolverines remain a blemish on his record. In speaking to The Athletic, Smith made clear just how much that November loss still bothers him, even after wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame sealed a national title. He vows to not let it happen again.

“I’m not a sore loser, but I hate losing, and losing to that team up north was pretty crazy,” Smith said. “In the end, I think it really helped us play the way we did in the playoffs. But I didn’t want to go to Ohio State and lose to that team up north. I just hate them. Just something about them. For the next two years, I promise you, I will not lose to them. I can’t lose to them in the next two years.”

That kind of laser focus on the rivalry is one that will further endear Smith to Ohio State fans, if that is even possible. Smith is coming off of a season in which he caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, while playing in an offense with a pair of elite running backs and a first-round pick at wide receiver in Emeka Egbuka. Had he been eligible for the 2025 NFL draft, he may have been the top wide receiver off the board, or perhaps the second after two-way phenom Travis Hunter.

He should get two more bites at the apple against Michigan in '25 and '26 before he makes the leap to the NFL. The Wolverines have won four consecutive games in the series dating back to 2021.