No one, not even Michigan's head football coach, can keep themselves from praising Jeremiah Smith.
At Big Ten Media Days on Thursday, Sherrone Moore complimented Ohio State’s star wide receiver, calling him the best college football player in America, regardless of position.
"He’s probably the best college football player that’s out there," Moore said. "He’s elite."
Smith collected 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman. Of those statistics, five catches, 35 yards and one score came in The Game. Smith’s reception in the end zone was Ohio State’s lone touchdown of the game, which ended with a 13-10 final in favor of Michigan.
“He’s probably the best college football player that’s out there. He’s Elite.”– Sherrone Moore on Jeremiah Smith
When asked how Michigan slowed Smith down in the matchup, Moore declined to disclose the answer.
“Can’t give away all the secrets because he’s pretty good. But you do everything you can to make sure the quarterback is uncomfortable,” he said.
Looking ahead to The Game this fall – a matchup Smith vowed to win, along with Ohio State and Michigan’s meeting in 2026 – Moore said his coaching staff and players will do their best to replicate the Wolverines’ success against Smith. Still, he admitted that the 6-foot-3, 225-pound receiver will be hard to keep in check.
“You got to do everything you can to put the game out of his hands, but it’s gonna be hard to do that, so you’re gonna do everything you can as a team to go win,” Moore said. “Offensively, special teams, defensively, it’s got to be a team event to win that game. We’ll get to that game when we get there. We think about that game enough. But (last year’s game) was an awesome performance from Wink Martindale and our staff.”
