Paul Finebaum believes former Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly didn't give Jeremiah Smith enough attention during the team's run to the College Football Playoff National Championship. In particular, the controversial loss to TTUN in Week 14 and the Texas Longhorns matchup in the CFP semifinal.
If that's possible.
Finebaum shared that opinion when asked whether or not Smith was the best player in college football.
Finebaum said Smith is "without a doubt the best player in the game."
"That he is, he’s so good, Greeny. You know, doing the draft, where he would have gone last year, it’s incredible he has to stay in college with all the convoluted rules. The biggest issue they had last year with Chip Kelly calling the plays was getting him the ball enough. Remember, in the Michigan game. He didn’t get the ball enough in the Texas game. I think that will change this year, but he is without a doubt the best player in the game," Finebaum said.
Smith may have had the talent to be the best player in the game, stats-wise, last year, but Kelly's offense focused on a heavy dose of ground-and-pound. Quinshon Judkins (194 carries) and TreVeyon Henderson (144) were well-fed.
Emeka Egbuka, a first-round NFL draft pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, also needed his targets. He led the team (81), with five more receptions than Smith.
And it all worked out. OSU won it all and upstaged the Wolverines' well-documented -- as in, TTUN's opponents on their sidelines on film -- and stained run to the 2023/2024 title.
Why is Finebaum taking shots at a coordinator who moved back to the NFL after showing up and winning a title?
Who knows. It is the dog days of summer, and the sports season is at a crawl.