Ohio State WRs Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate questionable at Michigan

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The potential return of Ohio State wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate for their rivalry game at Michigan on Nov. 29 remains up in the air.

The Buckeyes listed their two injured stars as questionable on their availability report submitted to the Big Ten. It’s unlikely there will be clarity around their statuses until at least warmups begin at Michigan Stadium. ESPN, however, reported that Smith and Tate are expected to play.

Coach Ryan Day suggested earlier this week that Smith and Tate were available to practice, but he declined to address their availability for The Game.

Both Smith and Tate sat out the Buckeyes’ win over Rutgers last weekend as they continued to manage unspecified injuries.

Tate last made an appearance for the Buckeyes in a win over Penn State Nov. 1. He was pulled from warmups the following week at Purdue and has remained unavailable this month.

Smith had not been out until last week, though he saw limited snaps in a rout of UCLA on Nov. 15. He caught four passes for 40 yards against the Bruins before leaving early in the second quarter.

Smith conveyed optimism about his return this week when he joined safety Caleb Downs on his podcast and mentioned that he “should be good to go” against the Wolverines.

Few are as valuable to the Buckeyes’ offense as Smith, a dominant pass catcher who had 69 receptions for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns through 10 games and been a favorite target for quarterback Julian Sayin. He was named one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top wide receiver earlier this week.

The combined absences of Smith and Tate was noticeable last week against the Scarlet Knights as Ohio State’s wide receivers combined for just four catches for 33 yards. Max Klare, a tight end who transferred from Purdue, led the Buckeyes with seven catches for 105 yards.

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: Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate questionable for Ohio State vs. Michigan

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