Is Jeremiah Smith 100% healthy? As the highly anticipated Ohio State vs. Notre Dame National Championship game is set to commence, that question is bugging the Buckeyes’ fans. For the past month, Ryan Day had been working himself off and fighting his way out to get to where they were. Could his effort be faced with a potential injury setback? His star WR doesn’t look like his usual 100%, as far as physical observation goes. What’s going on?

Ahead of the big kickoff inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, something caught fans’ attention during the players’ warm-up that gave Ohio State fans a pregame panic. And it’s a concerning view of their star WR, who appeared to have his thigh bandaged. As Pete Nakos reported on X on January 20, “Ohio State star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has his left hamstring wrapped tonight.” 

Now questions are circulating across social media if Jeremiah Smith has suffered some kind of injury. But one positive thing is that he’s running routes just fine. Still, it doesn’t finalize if he’s perfectly healthy. Perhaps the biggest hope is that he’s wearing compression ahead of the game. The worst could be that he’s nursing a hamstring injury. 

While the freshman WR appeared to perform fit and fine, there’s no room for slack in this major championship game. Smith is one of the reasons for the Buckeyes’ formidable offense. This past season, he caught 71 passes for 1,227 yards and 14 scores while averaging 17.3 yards per catch, making him a phenomenal part of OSU’s plans to thwart the Irish’s defense. 

Why OSU needs Jeremiah Smith at his 100%

Jeremiah Smith’s best performance came in the Rose Bowl against Oregon, where he secured 187 yards and two touchdowns. In the Cotton Bowl against Texas, his performance was shocking because he was limited to just 3 yards by the Longhorns’ defense. Still, the 19-year-old doesn’t mind what he has to go through to win, as he said of the CFP semifinals, “You watch the film—they doubled, tripled me. It’s frustrating, but being a decoy helped us win the game.” 

OSU went on to defeat Texas with a double-touchdown victory. And Smith is clear about his goal as he prepares for the National Championship game: “If I’ve got to be a decoy in this game, I’ll be a decoy. All I want to do is win.” This relates to Ryan Day’s dream after a sobering loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes HC said, “There will be a time to tell the story after the season, but the only way the story is told is if we win.”

Hopefully, the suspense that’s swirling around Jeremiah Smith won’t cost Ohio State in their final performance.