Who is Zach Smith?

Zach Smith, the former wide receivers coach at Ohio State University under Urban Meyer, was fired in July of 2018 after multiple domestic abuse allegations came to light. Zach Smith was a long-time assistant of college football head coach Urban Meyer with multiple years on his staff at Ohio State, and a previous stint as an assistant at the University of Florida.

Zach Smith is the grandson of the former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Earle Bruce. As stated in a previous ESPN piece, “one of his earliest memories is of the band playing on the lawn for his grandfather, former Buckeyes coach Earle Bruce, and he has certainly spent plenty of time in the Horseshoe.”

The ESPN piece also details the connection Smith had with Urban Meyer: “An acclimation period with his new boss isn’t even necessary, as Smith has known Urban Meyer since he was a kid and has already worked for him for five years in his young career.”

Zach Smith was a position coach at Ohio State, but perhaps was more widely known for his prowess on the recruiting trail. Smith continually helped Meyer and Ohio State land elite recruiting classes. Some previous elite recruits connected with Smith at Ohio State include Nick Bosa, Garrett Wilson, Wyatt Davis and more. Largely driven by Smith’s success on the recruiting trail, Ohio State has delivered consistent top ten classes year-in and year-out.

Smith’s career at Ohio State came to an end in July of 2018 as multiple allegations of domestic abuse from Smith’s ex-wife Courtney Smith came to light. The scandal has embroiled the entire Ohio State football program, as well as head coach Urban Meyer, as multiple reports show that others knew about such incidents going back several years. Despite the knowledge of such incidents, it appears that Ohio State football kept Zach Smith on staff.