Ryan Day drops truth about Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate injuries after Michigan win

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has kept quiet about the injuries to Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. But he finally told the truth after the Buckeyes defeated Michigan.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) warms up prior to the NCAA football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State dominated Michigan 27-9 to snap four consecutive Wolverines victories in The Game.

Heisman candidate Julian Sayin was brilliant, completing 19-of-26 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns after an early interception.

Ohio State’s talented wide receiver duo Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate were activated despite dealing with undisclosed lower-body injuries over the last few weeks.

After beating Michigan, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day finally opened up about the injuries to his best wide receivers.

“If you really knew how much work they put in to get on the field and how gutsy they are — I’m sure the fans and everybody would appreciate what they did in going out there and putting it on the line.”

Apparently, both Smith and Tate were dealing with serious enough injuries that caused them to miss games leading up to the Michigan matchup. Day added that Smith was “very, very limited” in practice leading up to The Game. Earlier this week, Smith joined Caleb Downs’ podcast where he professed his desire to play against Michigan.

"I'm feeling pretty good despite dealing with an injury situation, but I should be good to go for Saturday," Smith said on the podcast earlier this week.

Tate caught five passes for 82 yards and a long touchdown pass that put the game out of reach. Smith added three receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown of his own that stood after a review for a potential fumble through the end zone.

Smith and Tate helped Day get the Wolverines off of his back. Michigan had gotten the best out of Ohio State’s head coach over their last four meetings. 

Now, Day is giving a ton of praise to Smith for pushing through his injury and performing well despite barely practicing throughout the week.

“For him to play the way he did with really not getting many reps all week is just a tribute to him,” Day said.

Both Smith and Tate will need to capitalize on a full week's worth of recovery after defeating Michigan as Ohio State will travel to Indianapolis to face off against the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten Championship.

If Sayin can out-duel Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza in that matchup, he could supplant the transfer QB as the Heisman favorite. Certainly, he will want both of his talented receivers healthy for that matchup with the College Football Playoff right around the corner.