Ohio State's Arthur Smith says getting Jeremiah Smith involved 'always the focus' after Oregon flop

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ohio State's Arthur Smith says getting Jeremiah Smith involved 'always the focus' after Oregon flop

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Nov 10, 2026 11:06 PM ET

Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith knows that he has to game plan a lot of touches for Jeremiah Smith if the Ohio State Buckeyes are to win their last three games of the 2026 season.

Frankly, they need to win these games or the 6-3 Buckeyes have just about no chance of making the College Football Playoff.

In Columbus, no matter what you've done in the past, that could lead to a pink slip for everyone from head coach Ryan Day to Arthur Smith and his staff on the offensive side of the ball.

Perhaps that's why Arthur Smith was so clear that he intends to get Jeremiah Smith, potentially the greatest college wide receiver of all-time, the ball as much as possible.

"It's always the focus," he told the media on Tuesday, addressing getting the Heisman Trophy candidate the football more.

Ohio State offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was asked multiple times about Jeremiah Smith's involvement - or lack thereof - against Oregon. Here are his responses. pic.twitter.com/9EJI56UnTb
— Dave Holmes (@DaveHolmesTV) November 10, 2026

Expect Jeremiah Smith to be the focus of Ohio State's offense for last three games

The reason OSU's offensive coordinator is under fire in this regard is that even though Jeremiah Smith caught seven passes for 133 yards and a touchdown in the Week 10 loss to Oregon, much of that happened in the "too little, too late" stage of the game.

Jeremiah Smith went nearly two quarters without a target while Oregon erased a 14-3 second-quarter lead by Ohio State and ultimately pulled away to win, 41-28.

Smith's touchdown came with 1:01 to go in the game and Ohio State down by nearly three touchdowns.

The star wideout was visibly frustrated for much of the game, and with this season and CFP contention clearly on the line, one gets the sense that Arthur Smith is going to do everything he can to feed his best player moving forward.

"We'd love to have him touch the ball every play," he said of the star wideout.

Getting Jeremiah Smith involved more could go a long way toward the Buckeyes' hopes.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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