Urban Meyer, former Ohio State wideout reunited with Jacksonville Jaguars
Hours after the Jacksonville Jaguars dealt quarterback Gardner Minshew to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a conditional 2022 sixth-round draft pick, head coach Urban Meyer has filled the roster void — and in the process, Meyer has been reunited with former Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith, the team announced.
Smith’s signing came weeks after the Jaguars reportedly worked out Devin Smith on Aug. 11.
Smith saw plenty of success in his four-year tenure with the Ohio State Buckeyes, posting 2,503 career receiving yards — including 931 his senior year — and 30 receiving touchdowns. His sophomore year was Meyer’s first as Ohio State’s head coach, and his senior year they went on to win the College Football Championship, finishing with a 14-1 record.
Smith, a 6-foot-1, 199-pound wideout from Akron, Ohio was a three-star recruit by most outlets. He committed to Ohio State under then-head coach Jim Tressel, who was forced to resign following NCAA violations. Meyer was hired to lead the Buckeyes in Smith’s sophomore year.
Playing under Meyer
While playing under Meyer at Ohio State, Smith was also a member of the Buckeyes’ track and field team, finishing second at the 2014 Big Ten outdoor championships in the high jump.
Smith was selected by the New York Jets in the 2015 NFL Draft, taken off the board in the second round with the 37th overall selection. However, his NFL career has been far less successful than his college days; Smith, 29, has appeared in just 18 NFL games.
In his rookie season with the Jets, Smith reeled in nine catches, 115 yards and one touchdown in ten games but tore his ACL in his tenth appearance, ending his rookie season. He appeared in just four games the following year, catching one pass for 20 yards. In 2017, his last with the Jets, Smith suffered another ACL injury to the same knee and was waived by the Jets. He’s since signed with the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and New England Patriots but appeared in only four games, all with the Cowboys.
Smith has caught 15 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns in his NFL career. He last appeared in an NFL game in the 2019 season.
Smith’s signing was announced alongside offensive lineman Jermaine Elueunor, the Baltimore Ravens’ 2017 fifth-round draft pick. Meyer and the Jaguars play their preseason finale against the Cowboys on Aug. 29 at 1:00 p.m. ET, and they open up the regular season on the road against the Houston Texans on Sept. 12.