The Ohio State Buckeyes enter the 2026 season as the No. 1 team in the nation and one of the favorites to win the national championship yet again. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the land with Julian Sayin and, arguably, the single best player in all of college football, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
The biggest question, though? How will that QB and WR duo operate with a new offensive coordinator?
Advertisement
After Brian Hartline left to take over as the head coach at USF, former NFL coach Arthur Smith comes back to the college level to take over the Buckeyes’ attack. While his NFL career had its ups and downs, there is a hope that he can find his footing once again in Columbus.
According to Smith, when asked how the new offense would look under the new OC, it’s pretty simple.
“Get me the ball.”
At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, that’s a pretty simple concept. Since coming in as a true freshman, Smith has been regarded as the best receiver in the nation, and he has hauled in 163 catches for 2,558 yards and 27 touchdowns in that time. Obviously, a coordinator who didn’t make it a point to get this guy the ball early and often would likely not be in that coordinator position for long.
Advertisement
“We’ve just got a lot of different things that we do in this offense with Coach Smith,” the receiver continued. “He finds ways to get us guys the ball, and it’s all about the little things with Coach Smith. He’s got plays on plays, and you’re gonna see a whole different offense this year than last year.”
While the Buckeyes were a very good team last year, reaching the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, they didn’t have one of the best offenses in the nation, scoring an average of just 30.6 points per game for the season. There’s a good chance that improves this year with a stout offensive line and some of the best skill-position guys in the nation.
If Smith’s play-calling can unlock some of these players — Jeremiah Smith in particular — then the rest of the nation needs to be on notice.
Contact/Follow@College_Wire on X and@College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: ‘Get me the ball;’ Jeremiah Smith breaks down new Ohio State offense
