Rivalries are important in sport, and they are carried on by passionate individuals. Jeremiah Smith, who joined the Ohio State Buckeyes last year, is passionate and dedicated to his team’s longstanding rivalry with the Michigan Wolverines.
Although he’s new in the program, Smith not only knows all about the bitter rivalry but has already involved himself in it completely. During an appearance on The Triple Option, the 19-year-old made his feelings clear on Ohio’s biggest challenge.
When asked what comes to his mind when he hears, “The team up north,” Smith said (59:14):
“Hate. Hate them. I hate them with everything in me. Yeah, I hate them.”
The obvious follow-up question was when he learned about the bitter rivalry and the fact that the two teams absolutely despise each other. Smith said it all started at the high school recruiting stage.
“I think I made a mistake and I was wearing like a dark blue. Oh yeah, I was wearing dark blue, and it was Coach Hartline and Coach Keenan Bailey, and they were like, “You can’t wear those colors here.” From that day forward, I was like, ‘Okay, yeah, it’s real.’”
The dark blue colors belong to Michigan in the world of college football. So, it’s understandable why the offensive coordinator & wide receivers coach (Brian Hartline) and co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach (Keenan Bailey) asked him never to wear those colors again.
As a result of immediately being brought up to speed with the program’s history and its rival, Smith is now deeply invested in winning over them. So far in his career, Smith is 0-1 against the Wolverines.
The 2024 CFP national champion just had five catches, 35 yards, and a touchdown against Michigan in that game.
Jeremiah Smith Is Not Over Their Loss Against Michigan
Smith and the Buckeyes ended up winning the title last year. In an otherwise great season, the loss against Michigan was like a blot for the team. During a conversation with The Athletic in July 2025, Smith talked about the impact of that loss.
“I’m not a sore loser, but I hate losing, and losing to that team up north was pretty crazy,” Smith said. “In the end, I think it really helped us play the way we did in the playoffs. But I didn’t want to go to Ohio State and lose to that team up north. I just hate them.”
The 19-year-old is still not clear on what it is about the Michigan Wolverines that makes him hate them so much. All he could say was, “Just something about them.” That’s the true spirit of a competitor who is completely invested in his program’s longstanding rivalry.
Going forward, Smith doesn’t plan on ever losing to the Wolverines again. He assured that for the next two years, he would ensure that his team won that particular matchup. The wide receiver is adamant on never going through that experience again. The Wolverines and Buckeyes will play on November 29 at Michigan Stadium.
Read More:
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, Julian Sayin and More Left in Splits Over Nostalgic Snaps
Paul Finebaum Reveals How Chip Kelly Underused Jeremiah Smith’s Talent Last Season
Jeremiah Smith’s Draft Eligibility: Revealing Surprising Struggle for OSU Star and His NFL Timing
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