Ryan Day says Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate trending in right direction

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Ryan Day says Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate trending in right direction

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said injured wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are trending in the right direction ahead of the Buckeyes’ game at Michigan on Nov. 29.

During an appearance on the “Buckeye Roundtable” on 1460 AM, he said both made progress on Nov. 24 in their recoveries from unspecified injuries.

“They’re going to continue to get some rest tonight,” Day said. “They had a good day of rehab. We’ll wake up in the morning and see how we’re doing. Nobody wants to play more than those two guys.”

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith wears street clothes on the field prior to the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Nov. 22, 2025. Smith, along with fellow wide receiver Carnell Tate, did not play in the game.

Neither Smith nor Tate appeared in the Buckeyes’ win over Rutgers last weekend, watching from the sideline at Ohio Stadium in jackets and sweat pants.

It was the first career absence for Smith, who had not missed a game for the Buckeyes since he enrolled at the school as a freshman last year.  

Smith had not been at full strength the previous week against UCLA when he was limited to just 22 snaps.

The injury for Tate has lingered for most of this month, resulting in him missing three straight games, the longest stretch of his career in which he has been unavailable for Ohio State.

Tate last played in the Buckeyes’ win over Penn State on Nov. 1. Before he was sidelined, Tate had finished with at least 100 receiving yards in three out of four games.

Both Smith and Tate, who form one of the best receiving duos in college football, provide an explosive element for Ohio State’s passing game.

Twelve of the 13 completions by quarterback Julian Sayin that have gained 40 or more yards have gone to either Smith or Tate.

Smith has 69 receptions for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, and Tate has caught 39 passes for 711 yards and seven touchdowns.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ryan Day says Ohio State WRs Smith, Tate trending in right direction

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