Former OSU Running Back, Union Star Jeremy Smith Starts New Journey As Bartlesville Coach

After a successful collegiate football career at Oklahoma State, Jeremy Smith tried the job market. "I was with Tampa Bay, but things didn't work out. I went into selling cars, which I did not want to do," said Smith.

But thanks to the world of Twitter and contacts, Smith became Coach Smith. "[We’re] very fortunate to have Jeremy on staff; kids really relate to him and he's a great football coach," said Bartlesville Head Coach John McKee.

Smith is the new running backs coach at Bartlesville. At first he was at his alma mater Union, but he knew the team would already be pretty talented and he wanted to be part of a team that he could really help grow like Mike Gundy did with OSU’s program.

McKee says he initially had trouble finding someone qualified to fill the coaching spot. "We had a running back coach that we were having trouble filling, again trying to find a teacher and a coach, but we got him on as a coach and there’s a private school in town that he's a P.E. teacher at," he explained.

Now, in his new role, Smith is starting to develop “coach” speak. "Got to watch film, got to come out here and put some extra work in, you're going to be out here, go full out because the only thing I can't coach, I can't coach effort. I can scream at you all day, but I can't coach you to get better, you got to want it," he elaborated.

And with a player under the tutelage of Gundy, Todd Monken and Dana Holgorsen, the older Bruins coaches are taking notes too. "We're going to take that and mold it into what we do, but he brings a lot of good stuff to the table as far as running back drills and the things he does with those guys. His experience, it's going to go a long way for those guys," McKee explained.

While Smith gets used to being called sir or Coach Smith, maybe Head Coach Jeremy Smith is in his future. There is a precedent; Rashawn Woods is coaching John Marshall in the Oklahoma City area and maybe he can follow suit. "If it's a head coach, I'll take it. If it's in the collegiate world doing that, then I'll do it, so we'll just see," said Smith.