The Ohio State star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is taking the college football world by storm week after week with historic, video game-like box scores. However, one man behind his incredible start might not be receiving enough credit, according to ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit.
That man is Ohio State offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The former Atlanta Falcons head coach and longtime NFL offensive coordinator arrived in Columbus before the 2026 season, inheriting arguably the most talented wide receiver in college football. Instead of overthinking how to use him, Smith has seemingly embraced a simple philosophy: Get the football to Jeremiah Smith as often as possible.
“I think he deserves a lot of credit because it’s one thing to have a guy like that,” Herbstreit said. “He’s like, ‘I don’t care what defenses do. We are getting our guy the ball.'”
The results have been staggering. Through five games, Jeremiah Smith has 44 receptions for 823 yards and nine touchdowns. He leads the nation in all three categories after recording consecutive 200-yard performances against Illinois and Iowa.
Smith caught 12 passes for a career-high 217 yards and four touchdowns against Illinois. One week later, Iowa had an opportunity to build its defensive game plan around slowing him down, and it hardly mattered. Smith responded with 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State’s win.
That is where Arthur Smith deserves some recognition.
Every opponent knows where Ohio State wants to go with the football. Defenses can roll coverage toward Jeremiah Smith, put a safety over the top or try to make somebody else beat them. Ohio State has continued feeding its superstar anyway, allowing its best offensive player to decide games rather than getting too creative for its own good.
Herbstreit believes Jeremiah Smith’s production is becoming so ridiculous that the conversation surrounding him should extend well beyond Ohio State’s long list of legendary receivers.
“He’s starting to get into the discussion of not just best to ever play at Ohio State … maybe one of the best to play college football,” Herbstreit said. “He’s getting to that level of greatness.”
That is remarkable territory for any player, especially one still adding to his college résumé. Smith already owns Ohio State’s career records for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns after his performance against Iowa.
There is plenty of credit to go around for that historic rise. Jeremiah Smith possesses generational talent, quarterback Julian Sayin continues putting the football in his hands and Ohio State has surrounded both players with another loaded roster.
But Herbstreit’s point about Arthur Smith should not be overlooked. Sometimes coaching a superstar is less about creating something complicated and more about refusing to let an opponent take that superstar away.
So far, Ohio State keeps finding Jeremiah Smith, and nobody has figured out how to stop it.
Ohio State’s Arthur Smith Gets Major Credit for Jeremiah Smith’s Historic Rise