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Ohio State WR coach trolls Tennessee

Connor O'Gara

By Connor O'Gara

Published:

Just because it’s the offseason doesn’t mean Zach Smith is holding anything back.

The Ohio State receivers coach is, however, in midseason recruiting form. Like the rest of the college football world, he’s keeping tabs on the decisions being made by the top prospects in the country.

When Marquez Halladay announced his commitment to Tennessee on Thursday, Vols running back coach Robert Gillespie was fired up.

Seemingly unprovoked, the Buckeye receivers coach had this response to Gillespie’s tweet:

Smith might have a point.

DeAnthony Arnett was Tennessee’s top overall recruit in 2011. He of course transferred to Michigan State and never lived up to his highly touted status.

Cordarrelle Patterson was the top JUCO player in the country, and he earned All-SEC honors. Still, he only played one year for the Vols before going to the NFL. Other four-star receivers like Drae Bowles, Jason Croom, Pig Howard, Josh Malone, Marquez North and Von Pearson didn’t live up to the hype at Tennessee for various on- or off-field reasons.

The evidence is certainly in Smith’s favor. Maybe he was just tired of the Vols claiming “Receiver U.”

Even though Tennessee and Ohio State’s paths don’t cross very often anymore — the Buckeyes actually didn’t offer Halladay — it’s worth noting that Smith was a grad assistant for Urban Meyer at Florida where they had their fair share of battles.

Maybe both teams will collide in a postseason showdown in 2016. Surely Smith wouldn’t mind that.

Connor O'Gara

Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.