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Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith Held Nothing Back When Asked About Michigan Rivalry

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alex Weber | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 1:55 PM ET

Jeremiah Smith is only coming off his true freshman season at Ohio State, but he already views that ugly maize-and-blue rival with the guile of a 70-year-old Buckeyes fan.

Of course, Smith and the rest of his compatriots suffered the program's fourth straight loss to the Wolverines last season, the rookie wideout's first taste of the Big Game. Sure, that loss may have sparked a stampede to the national championship for Ohio State, but it definitely still stings.

Coming into this year, Buckeye nation couldn't be more frustrated with the state of the rivalry. After all, how can you win a national championship but not beat a 6-5 Michigan team that is physically incapable of passing the football? It's one of sports' great mysteries.

But there exists no mystery in Jeremiah Smith's feelings about the squad at the tail-end of the regular season schedule. On the "Triple Option" podcast hosted by former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II and Rob Stone, Smith was asked about Michigan and issued one word in regard to that other program:

"Hate," he said. "You know, with everything in me, I hate them.”

Smith Held to Poor Performance vs. Michigan

The rising sophomore at least gets two more cracks at Michigan, assuming he doesn't transfer, and he'll hope to top his five-catch, 35-yard performance in last year's game, which went down as his third-lowest yardage total in the 2024 season.

He wasn't Hercules against UM, but Smith turned in a fantastic first year in Columbus, recording 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns — and those last two figures led the Big Ten. Heading into this fall, Smith is universally praised as one of the best players in college football and topped ESPN's list of the top 100 players in the sport for 2025.

Ohio State STILL Feels Pressure to Beat Rival Despite Championship

Somehow, Ohio State won a national championship, but the most important game of Ryan Day's career might still occur this November when the Buckeyes try to snap Michigan's winning streak in this rivalry.

Think back to when that game ended last fall. Ohio State's balloon deflated like a whoopee cushion loud enough for the entire 50 states to hear.

Day and the Buckeye players were subjects of one of the great embarrassments in modern football history, losing as a 10-1 national championship favorite on their home field to a 6-5 rival whose coaching staff and roster was gutted following their own national championship the season before.

That's as brutal as losses get, man. Of course, major props to Day on flipping the script in December and January. Now on level ground, we all know that neither Michigan's nor Ohio State's national championships will matter on Nov. 29 — it will just be who HATES the other just a little bit more ;).

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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