Oregon State head football coach Jonathan Smith expressed that he was happy to be back on the football field, this time in a coaching capacity on Wednesday.

Following his recent hire and after spending months on the recruiting trail, Smith seemed pleased to see the players live in action for the first time this spring.

“I really liked the focus of the guys today,” Smith said. “They had been learning the schemes for the last couple of months, and so it was nice to actually have a ball and get to see them moving around for a two-hour period.”

It seems Smith has quickly adjusted to his new role as head coach as he was personally involved in every position group throughout the first day. As the practice unfolded, Smith was relatively quiet as he made his rounds from group-to-group, evaluating and getting a feel for the different players.

“It was nice to put a whistle on and go,” Smith said. “It was different to watch in a new role, but it was fun to see our coaches work and to see the attention and focus the kids had. If we can sustain and build on this, I feel really good about it.”