“I just hate them. Just something about them. For the next two years, I promise you I’ll not lose to them.” These were the words of Jeremiah Smith when asked about Ohio State’s loss to Michigan last year. You can’t just toss around words like these unless, of course, you’re Jeremiah Smith. Then you can do whatever you want, because half the nation knows you can back it up.
But Jeremiah Smith is also not immune to clapbacks, and that’s exactly what he has been receiving after this statement of his. Analyst RJ Young, who has praised the WR since the dawn of humanity, just said, “I would like to see it.” He didn’t doubt the WR1, because he knows if there’s anyone who can break the losing streak, it’s him. But one Michigan alum absolutely did doubt him and basically said that he’s not that guy.
Michigan alum and probably the best promoter of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, Rich Eisen, just told it straight. “I’ll just tell this to Jeremiah. Jeremiah, I’m addressing you. Very talented. You’re very, very talented. You might be the best out of all of them. Marvin Harrison, Jr., Jaxson Smith, Garrett Wilson,” acknowledging Smith’s talent. When you’ve 76 catches, 1300+ yards, and 15 TDs in your freshman season, every response has to start with praise.
But then he gave him the reality check. “He [Wilson] lost his last game to Michigan, and that’s been four years in a row,” said Eisen. “And the team that beat Ohio State last year, not as good as the one that’s going to be there. Team 146 is better than Team 145.” Now, here, the logic is infallible. With players like Underwood, Haynes, and Marshall, you’re basically up against a constellation, by the looks of the stars they have in front of their names. Rich then followed with his signature pompous Michigan personality and ended the segment by saying, “Noted, Jeremiah, noted.” flexing the Michigan Alum notebook.
The fuse that Eisen’s response will light in Smith’s mind is exactly what the Buckeye Nation needs, but in this rivalry, talk doesn’t win games; execution does. Rich Eisen’s response was a reminder that beating Michigan takes more than bold words, especially now. Jeremiah Smith might be the most electric talent in college football, but in this feud, greatness is only proven on that last Saturday in November. And Smith? He will be taking notes, for sure.
A rivalry fueled by redemption
The pain of last November still lingers in Columbus. That 13-10 loss to an unranked Michigan team was a gut punch. Even with a national title to end the season, for Buckeye faithful and players alike, that loss hit differently. Especially for a talent like Jeremiah Smith, who arrived in Columbus not just to win games, but to own The Game. For Smith, there’s no such thing as a moral victory against Michigan, and that mindset is now becoming the heartbeat of Ohio State’s 2025 campaign.
And this is where Jeremiah Smith draws the line. His full quote to The Athletic was personal. “I’m not a sore loser, but I hate losing, and losing to that team up north was pretty crazy,” he 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. Just something about them. For the next two years, I promise you, I will not lose to them. I can’t lose to them in the next two years.” That’s the standard he has set. And when it comes from the best receiver in college football, it holds weight.
There’s a different tone around The Horseshoe this offseason, and Smith is helping shape it. His words have become something of a mission statement for a team that knows a national title is great, but it’s incomplete without handling Michigan. Smith is making sure the pain from the last four years doesn’t fade quietly. November 29 is circled in every room in Columbus, and when that day comes, expect No. 4 to be front and center.
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