Sports

Ohio State’s 5-Star WR Blindsided As Chip Kelly Bolts For 3rd Team In As Many Years

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Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith pictured beside Chip Kelly.

© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images


The Ohio State Buckeyes are a few weeks removed from a national championship after running through the College Football Playoff in dominant fashion. The offseason has already been unkind.

The program will be tasked with replacing multiple members of the coaching staff, as well as starting signal caller Will Howard. The team will look much different come 2025.

The attrition started before the team could even celebrate its national title. Whispers of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ departure surfaced days after the final game. He’d later accept a job at Big Ten rival Penn State.

Now, the coordinator on the offensive side of the ball is bailing. Chip Kelly is reportedly moving on to become the offensive play caller for the Las Vegas Raiders. His stint in Columbus lasted just one season.

Chip Kelly arrived at Ohio State after bolting from UCLA. That move represented a demotion as he went from head coach to assistant. Now, he’s giving the NFL another shot.

His unit at Ohio State this past season was impressive. The Buckeyes averaged nearly 36 points per game in 2024, good for 14th-best in the NCAA. A big part of that production was the play of freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Smith led the Big Ten in both receiving yards and touchdowns as a rookie. He was Will Howard’s favorite target down the field. The pass catcher saved his best for last by hauling in a crucial third-down conversion to put the championship game on ice.

Now, he’ll be forced to start new with a fresh face on the coaching staff. It’s unclear at this point which direction the search for Kelly’s replacement is headed.

Smith appeared blindsided by the reports. He responded on social media with an emoji of a broken heart.

This will be Kelly’s third team in as many years. It will also be his third job in the NFL after leading the Eagles and 49ers. While he wasn’t at Ohio State long, he maximized his talent in his lone season.

Jeremiah Smith will have to adjust to both a new play caller and quarterback in the 2025 campaign. The Buckeyes will begin their national title defense on August 30 against Texas.