Jeremiah Smith has a thing for creating quick impressions. And that was the case with Arthur Smith. In just months, the new offensive coordinator has become a fan of both the player and the person.

“Yeah, I’ve been really fortunate,” the new OC said on 97.1 The Fan—Ohio’s Sports Destination when asked what he made of Jeremiah Smith over the past six months. “I’ve been around; I’ve gotten to coach and work with a lot of great players, guys that will be gold jacket players. And everybody compares him, don’t want to compare him to this guy. They’re all different, right? They all have different strengths. They’re elite players, and Jeremiah is certainly that. And I’ve been impressed, too, with just his maturity, you know, his approach to the game.

“I mean, when I watch him, there’s not a route that he cannot run. And he’s a great teammate. I mean, it’s just I’ve been so impressed with the person. The player is obvious. You know, my six-year-old could tell me, oh, that guy’s good. But it’s his mental makeup, watching him work, all the stuff he does with Coach Mick, you know, the way he leads. Very, very impressive.”

Arthur Smith was not the only one to get a swift impression of Jeremiah Smith; the whole of college football did. He joined the Buckeyes as the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class and was widely regarded as one of the best high school wide receiver prospects in the modern recruiting era. The expectations were very high, but he quickly showed that his talent was even higher.

Smith immediately proved himself in his freshman season and recorded 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 receiving touchdowns in 16 games, adding 47 rushing yards and 1 rushing score.

These numbers earned him the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year, and First-Team All-American. He continued that success during the 2025 campaign, recording 87 receptions for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns.

During this time, Arthur Smith was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator. George Pickens was his top wide receiver at Pittsburgh, recording 59 receptions for 900 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 14 games in 2024. Aside from Pickens, Coach Smith has worked with several top wide receivers during his stints with the Atlanta Falcons and the Tennessee Titans.

Most prominently, Coach Smith worked with star running back Derrick Henry at the Tennessee Titans. One question that popped up about his plans for Jeremiah Smith was answered in reference to Derrick Henry. The OC was asked whether he sees a risk of over-targeting Smith in the offense. “No,” he said. “I got asked if I gave the ball too many times to Derrick Henry, and I’d argue that I didn’t.”

Jeremiah Smith on Coach Arthur Smith

The admiration is mutual between both the coach and his player. Ahead of the new season, Jeremiah has also expressed his confidence in coach Smith’s ability to further improve the team’s offense.

“I feel like our offense is going to be better,” Smith said. “Arthur Smith came in, and we know he’s got NFL background. He’s been teaching a lot of different things and showing a lot of different ways of how he got people to ball.”

Coach Smith’s run-first approach has been heavily criticized, and questions have been raised regarding his abilities. However, he is a good fit for the Buckeyes, who were ranked No. 72 in rushing yards per game and No. 23 in passing.