Ohio State football coach Ryan Day updates injury statuses of Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate
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Ohio State coach Ryan Day said the Buckeyes are taking it day-to-day with injured wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, leaving their statuses uncertain for Rutgers on Nov. 22.
“They’re working hard to get back on the field,” Day said.
The Buckeyes have held Tate out two straight weeks and limited Smith’s snaps in their win over UCLA last week due to what Day called a “nagging issue.” Day has declined to specify the nature of their injuries, citing a program policy.
“I can tell you that they’re in great spirits,” Day said. “The medical staff is working hard.”
Before Smith made an early exit in the second quarter against the Bruins, he caught four passes for 40 yards. He was later seen limping on the sideline, though Day said in the aftermath that he had no long-term concerns about the health of either of them.
When asked days later if Smith had done anything against UCLA to complicate his injury, Day said, “Not that I know of.”
The Buckeyes return to practice on Nov. 18 as they prepare for the Scarlet Knights, who visit the Horseshoe for their final home game of the regular season. Ohio State visits archrival Michigan on Nov. 29.
Smith and Tate form a duo that is considered one of the best in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Both are among the 13 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver and have been frequent targets for quarterback Julian Sayin.
The school has promoted Smith, who has 69 receptions for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, for the Heisman Trophy, launching a formal campaign for him and Sayin earlier this month.
Day suggested there would be little clarity about their possible returns for Rutgers until later this week. The Big Ten only requires teams to release availability reports two hours before kickoff.
“We check in every day,” Day said, “we take the advice of the medical staff and use their feedback and go from there.”
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 updates injury statuses of Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate
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