Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate injury updates: Ryan Day reveals whether he has long-term concerns over health

Neither Jeremiah Smith nor Carnell Tate played a full evening worth of football against UCLA in a big win on Saturday. Both were limited as a preventive measure against injury.

Smith entered the game questionable on the Big Ten’s availability report. But he started out fine and made an incredible one-handed grab early in the contest.

Later, he disappeared from action and appeared to be walking gingerly on the sideline. Tate never played in the contest. Coach Ryan Day touched on their status and when he makes the decision to sit a player in a game when they could conceivably give it a go. There’s no exact formula.

“Yeah, we just, we rely on our medical staff,” Day told reporters. “And just go with the doctors, they’re the ones who know best. Then certainly the feedback that you get from the players is important as well. And just make the best decisions we can.”

On Saturday night, that was sitting Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate for an extended period. Smith appeared to be on a snap count.

But the real question for every Buckeyes fan moving forward is whether the duo will be available long-term. Is there any level of concern they might miss time?

“No,” Day said emphatically. Then his press conference concluded.

Urban Meyer puts Jeremiah Smith atop Heisman list

There’s at least one college football analyst that believes Ohio State standout receiver Jeremiah Smith deserves to be in the Heisman Trophy conversation: Urban Meyer. The former Buckeyes coach was vocal about that recently on The Triple Option podcast.

“The best football player in the country,” Meyer said. “And I would probably challenge anybody — the best player in America is Jeremiah Smith. He’d be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, probably after his freshman year, certainly after sophomore. And he will be next year.”

Smith caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns as a true freshman, setting the college football world on notice ahead of the 2025 season. He’s lived up to expectations as a sophomore.

Through the first 10 games this season, Jeremiah Smith has logged 69 catches for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 20 yards and a score.