COLUMBUS- Every position group has a different way of getting through to their players on what the goals are for Ohio State in the 2017 season. In his sixth season as the wide receivers coach, Zach Smith has a standard of excellence to uphold with a history of helping create NFL-ready talent.
For Smith, setting the tone for the rest of the year is something that he continues to perfect each season.
“It starts with the coaches,” Smith said. “We have to make sure that we set the culture and then get our leaders and empower them into bringing the culture into the offense and to the rooms. It goes to each unit. It’s my job to make sure the wide-outs are bought into the culture of this program, the offense and what we expect of them.”
What Smith expects out of his receivers is not anything out of the ordinary. He says that his group has to be able to run, block and get open on a consistent basis.
Even if that may sound obvious, Smith emphasized that these ideas are so important while practicing against what many consider as one of the top defenses in college football.
“We play the best DB’s in the country every day,” Smith said. “If you struggle in practice, we can’t put you on the field. You have to get open in practice every day. If you can do that here, you are going to get open on anyone in the country.”
As the recruiting coordinator as well, Smith knows the amount of talent the come to play at Ohio State first hand. However, according to Smith, it takes more than just making plays to make an impression.
“You better be able to make plays or you shouldn’t be here,” Smith said. “It’s more of, can you make plays consistently and can you, when tired, make plays. If you are fresh and you can make plays, cool man. We recruited you. I hope so.”
Going into his third year at Ohio State, Johnnie Dixon knows that Smith is not one to sugarcoat things to younger players.
“You don’t really know anything since you are still young coming out of high school, so he lays it down right then and there,” Dixon said. “Then, us older guys, we follow it and just lead.”
Smith focuses on how to utilize his receivers in a way to achieve maximum production on the football field, separating his guys into three different types of receivers. He considers the “X” as the isolation guy, while the “Z” has to be a perimeter blocker that is able to take the top off of coverage. He also has the “H,” which he uses to create mismatches with linebackers and safeties on defense.
Smith helped Binjimen Victor, both on the field and in the film room, with understanding these concepts and how it related to him as a receiver.
“He helped us throughout the whole process,” Victor said. “He helped me a lot as well become a better receiver by learning defenses and being a better receiver period.”
Despite being the youngest coach on the Ohio State coaching staff, he has been coaching since 2005. In that time, Smith’s approach in the wide receiver room never changes from year to year, no matter how a team may have finished in year’s past.
“I don’t think any year is any different with any less pressure,” Smith said. “Whether you had a good year or bad year, some guys leave and some guys come in. You go out the next year and are expected to be the best in America here at Ohio State.”
