\n Jeremiah Smith was nearly unable to play in Ohio State\u2019s final game of the regular season against Michigan. <\/p>\n
\n\tHe strained his rectus femoris \u2013 one of the four muscles that make up the quadriceps \u2013 in practice during the week leading up to Ohio State\u2019s game against UCLA two weeks earlier. While he played through the injury for three drives against the Bruins, he had to check out of the game early, then missed the following week\u2019s game against Rutgers.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tTold that the injury typically comes with a three- to four-week recovery timeline, Smith wasn\u2019t sure at the start of rivalry week if he\u2019d be able to take the field in Ann Arbor. But he did everything he could to get healthy because he couldn\u2019t bear to miss that game, and he ultimately returned to catch three passes for 40 yards and a touchdown in the Buckeyes\u2019 27-9 win over the Wolverines<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cAfter that Rutgers week, I was feeling down. I was like, I don’t know if I’m going to play against the team up north; I was debating if I was going to play or not because it was really bad, and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play,\u201d Smith said. \u201cBut I had to do everything for the team, and I wanted to be out there. And I did everything I could, and we got the win.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\tRyan Day couldn\u2019t have been more impressed by how hard his star receiver worked to get back on the field that week.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI think if people really knew leading up to that game what he went through to get himself healthy to play in that game, and then play the way he did without really practicing much that week, you’d be amazed,\u201d Day said. \u201cI looked him right in the eye and I said, \u2018Listen, no matter what happens, JJ, we’re going to go win that game with or without you. Now we need you and we want you in the game,\u2019 and it’s kind of like a weight got taken off of his shoulders. And he just willed himself, though, to be healthy into that game and to play in that game. And it was tremendous. He just did an amazing job. And it just goes to show you, when you set your mind to something, you can get it done. And he did it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhile Smith played and made an impact to help Ohio State earn its first win over Michigan since 2019, he says he wasn\u2019t playing at full strength. But Smith said Monday that he is fully healthy now entering the College Football Playoff.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cGoing into that game, no, I was not 100%, I’m going to be completely honest with you. Still was kind of banged up a little bit. But right now, I’m back healthy, fully healthy, so should be good to go,\u201d Smith said.\n<\/p>\n \n\tJust as the desire to beat Michigan gave Smith extra motivation to return from his injury as quickly as possible, Smith has extra motivation from several sources entering next week\u2019s CFP quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tFor one, the Miami Gardens native will be facing his hometown team. His excitement to play Miami was evident from the moment the Hurricanes beat Texas A&M in their first-round game on Saturday, as Smith posted a tweet with a smiling devil emoji just minutes after Miami\u2019s 10-3 win.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\t\u00a0\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Jeremiah Smith (@Jermiah_Smith1) December 20, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n\t\u201cI’m very excited to play the guys from back home,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt’s like a second home for me. I’m from there. I had a good relationship with all the coaches (from recruiting), a lot of the players on the team. A lot of people I played with in high school.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tIf another tweet he sent moments after USC wide receiver Makai Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award<\/a> is any indication, Smith will also be playing with a chip on his shoulder after being snubbed from that award, though he said Monday he had turned his focus away from that and toward beating Miami.\n<\/p>\n\n
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