Smith broke out in his first year at the collegiate level by breaking various Buckeyes' freshman receiving records and then topped it off by winning the national championship.

However, one piece of the season is still eating away at Smith, even months after he caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns during a 14-2 OSU 2024 season, which culminated in a 34-23 win over Notre Dame in the national championship game.

That is the 13-10 loss to rival Michigan in "The Game" on Nov. 30, 2024. Smith did catch the only Buckeyes' touchdown in the game, but finished with his third-lowest receiving output of the season with 35 yards in the loss.

"I’m not a sore loser, but I hate losing, and losing to That Team Up North was pretty crazy,” Smith said to The Athletic. “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.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) celebrates a touchdown by wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) during the NCAA football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Michigan won 13-10.

“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.”

Following the loss to the Wolverines, Ohio State had to play in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff. In a 42-17 win over Tennessee, Smith caught six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns. He followed it up with a seven-reception, 187-yard and two-touchdown performance against Oregon in the quarterfinal.

Smith had five grabs for 88 yards and a touchdown in the national championship game against the Fighting Irish, winning MVP honors in the Rose Bowl. Despite a strong freshman season, Smith still has two years of college to complete before he is eligible to enter the NFL draft in 2027.

He plans to make the most of his time in Columbus.

“I still have a lot of work to do,” Smith said. “I’ve got two, three more years left of college. I’ve still got to go to the pros — hopefully by the grace of God. I’ve just got to keep it going.

“Just because I had one great year, I can’t get comfortable and depend on that. I want to do this year in and year out. … I’m just trying to win another natty — that’s what I’m focused on. All the other individual accolades will come after that.”

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OSU WR Jeremiah Smith vows not to lose to Michigan again: 'I just hate them'