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Q&A with Washington writer about Jonathan Smith

Pretty much every Beaver fan out there is familiar with Jonathan Smith the player, but maybe not so much Jonathan Smith the coach.

To get insight on Smith's four years as Washington's offensive coordinator, we chatted with TheDawgReport.com publisher Lars Hanson in this Q&A segment.

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1. What kind of offense did Smith run at UW and how did he do as a playcaller?

Once Jonathan Smith got his quarterback - Jake Browning - it made calling plays a lot easier, verses when he took over and was handed Cyler Miles, Jeff Lindquist and a redshirt freshman Troy Williams (now at Utah). UW has been running more of a mixed offense under Smith. The offense is built around establishing a strong running game, both pro style and from spread/RPO formations. When he's been limited in the resources he's had, particularly at wide receiver, Smith has become more adept to creating ways to still use the passing game to balance the run.

2. How involved in recruiting was he? Was he a very hands on recruiter or did he just spot recruit the top targets? Were there certain areas he recruited?

Smith was basically focused on getting the quarterback, or quarterbacks, for the recruiting class and not much else. Even in years when UW would "miss" on their quarterback, several high-caliber recruits held a high interest based off his reputation. He's very thorough when it comes to his recruiting of quarterbacks, both in the evaluation process and when hosting recruits on official or unofficial visits. He's more of a West Coast recruiter as well having not really recruited many quarterbacks outside of the Northwest or California.

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3. What were your impressions of Smith with the media? Was he a media savvy guy?

He's pretty cordial with the media, but he's not overly exuberant. He's good at explaining what he tries to do offensively, how he works his method, but he's not an overly outgoing coach when it comes to media.

4. Did UW fans like Smith or are they a bit happy that he's leaving?

I think that very question a year or two ago would have been predominantly negative, especially given UW fans were vocal about their displeasure of the offense prior to the 2016 offensive explosion. With UW being again limited due to injury at WR this year, I think UW fans are still overall supportive of Smith. However, I think it's more of a promotion for Smith to get a chance to become head coach, and a curiosity of who will replace him, rather than a "happy" feeling.

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