Story by
Ryan Day updates Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate statuses for Michigan
- Story by
- Ryan Day updates Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate statuses for Michigan
Ohio State coach Ryan Day suggested injured wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate would be available to practice ahead of their game at archrival Michigan on Nov. 29.
"They'll be getting physical and mental reps all week," Day said.
Advertisement
Neither Smith nor Tate appeared in last week's rout of Rutgers while rehabbing unspecified injuries.
It's unlikely their availability for The Game will be finalized until closer to kickoff, and Day said the medical staff would make the final decision on their statuses.
"In the end, we'll look to the medical staff to give us a thumbs up or not," Day said.
Between the two star receivers, Smith has appeared the closest to a possible return against the Wolverines . He played nearly two dozen snaps as recently as a win over UCLA on Nov. 15 and sounded optimistic while appearing on a recent podcast with safety Caleb Downs .
Advertisement
In a clip previewing the episode released on Nov. 24, Smith said he was "feeling good" and "should be good to go" against the Wolverines.
Tate has been out for a longer stretch of time. It was at Purdue on Nov. 8 when Day said Tate suffered some sort of an injury setback while warming up before kickoff. The Buckeyes held him out as a result, the first of three games he has missed this month.
Despite the recent absences, Day has struck a more optimistic tone this week when addressing their potential availability.
Day said during a radio appearance on Nov. 24 that Smith and Tate were trending in the right direction.
Advertisement
As he met with reporters the following day, he said, "They're doing everything they can to play in the game. We'll see how today goes, but they're working really, really hard to get back on the field."
Both are among the biggest playmakers in college football. Smith is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in the nation and has caught 69 passes for 92 yards and 10 touchdowns. Tate has caught 39 passes for 711 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games.
This story was updated with new information.
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: Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate injury update for Michigan
