Ohio State's new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, raves about his new wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith.
Going from a middle-of-the-road NFL job to Ohio State is one thing, but making the move and getting the best wide receiver in all of football is a completely different ball game.
That is exactly what Ohio State's newest offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, is experiencing right now as he transitions to becoming the Buckeyes' new signal caller. On Tuesday, Smith spent some extended time with the media and spent a lot of time speaking about Jeremiah Smith.
It is no surprise that Smith is excited to have a new toy at his disposal, but he also understands exactly what he is dealing with in the young star.
One thing that has always stood out about Smith is his rare maturity. He has never had the mindset of a youngster that he is. Every time he speaks, you can tell that he is mature beyond his years, and when he plays, he looks like a seasoned veteran, not a 20-year-old.
This is exactly what Arthur Smith has to say about Smith after spending the last several weeks with him. He commented on how impressed he is with Smith's mindset and that he doesn't feel like he is dealing with a college player, but he is dealing with a seasoned veteran.
Smith has been around some of the best players in the game. He has called plays for offenses that have Derrick Henry and AJ Brown, and he has used Bijan Robinson and Drake London, so he knows his way around a star player.
Smith, later in the press conference, was asked about getting the ball to a guy like Smith and if you can overdo it. He joked that it would be like asking if you gave the ball to Derrick Henry too many times. A very straightforward response that should signal to Buckeye fans that they will be pressing the Jeremiah Smith button early and often all year long.
Smith has a very pressure-packed job next year. Ryan Day took a chance on him with the hire, and one, he has to clear the bar set by Matt Patricia last year, and two, he has to fire an offense that let the Buckeyes down last year.
When the chips were down against Indiana and Miami, Ohio State's offense cost the team. Plain and simple.
The Buckeyes had a historic defense that was left in the dust because the offense failed them. It's up to the Smiths, both Arthur and Jeremiah, to right the ship and push the Buckeyes back.
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