Arizona freshman Caleb Smith ‘fears nobody,’ ‘more comfortable in the offense’

For UA offensive coordinator Seth Doege, “I’m not surprised,” he said.

“I’m not surprised about his success because of the way he attacks everything he does,” Doege said.

Doege said Smith “did a really good job of being prepared” and when Arizona second-year wide receiver Giovanni Richardson suffered a leg injury in the first quarter against BYU in Week 2, Smith took on an elevated role in the UA offense while managing punt-returning duties.

In back-to-back weeks, Smith scored a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown — the first Wildcat to return a punt for a touchdown since Shun Brown in 2017 — and a 38-yard go-ahead receiving touchdown in the third quarter of Arizona’s 34-24 win over Washington State in Pullman.

“I don’t think (the Cougars) were ready for the route that I ran,” Smith said. “I tracked the ball really well and (quarterback Noah Fifita) put it in a good spot. I caught it and I scored.”

Smith’s touchdown catch followed up a 41-yard diving catch over the middle, which “was a shot that I was holding to call,” according to Doege.

“It was awesome we hit the seam to him and he had the unbelievable catch,” said Arizona’s offensive play-caller. “We got exactly what we wanted.”

The 5-8, 170-pound Smith had four catches for 86 yards and a touchdown last week and enters the Wildcats’ Big 12 home opener against Cincinnati averaging the second-most punt return yards (27.5) in the Big 12 this season. Smith was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week for his performance at Washington State.

“I couldn’t be more proud of Jet,” said Arizona wide receiver Tre Spivey. “He attacks every day like a pro. I feel like that’s rare to see from a freshman. You don’t really see that. When he gets his opportunities, he makes the most of it. His head is always in the game and he had two huge catches. … He’s just talented and has a great feel for the game. The more he plays, the more reps he gets on the field. The sky’s the limit for him.”

Smith lives up to his nickname “Jet” with his speed, but there’s more to his skill set than just his swiftness.

“Everybody sees Jet as just fast and he’s a good punt returner and has some really good skills, but you should see how he attacks lifting, how he attacks nutrition, he’s never on the accountability board and he does everything the right way,” Doege said. “This guy is made up of the right stuff. When guys are made up of the right stuff and they have a skillset like Jet, all of a sudden in Week 4, they’re making plays as a true freshman.

“I’ve been around a lot of guys with a ton of skillsets, but they have some growing up to do and aren’t ready to play. Jet is very mature for his age. The biggest skillset that he has that doesn’t get seen from the outside and the fan perspective is that he is fearless. That dude fears nobody. He doesn’t fear contact. He’s not the biggest guy, but he will run through you. That’s on those punt returns, he will hit a seam and roll, because he’s not scared of any type of contact.”

Smith first made a name for himself as a reliable and effective punt returner and now “I feel like I’m very comfortable now in the offense,” he said.

“In spring ball, I struggled playing with confidence, because I didn’t know what I was doing,” he added. “Going to (wide receiver coach Bobby Wade’s) office a little after spring ball, it really helped me a lot to become more comfortable. Right now, I feel like I’m more comfortable in the offense.”

Arizona head coach Brent Brennan is encouraged by his standout freshman from Allen, Texas, but “let’s see what he does at the end of the season.”

Typically, freshmen hit a, well, freshman wall.

“Let’s see what that thing looks like as time goes,” Brennan said. “That’s the hardest part for freshmen, the season is longer, the practices are longer and everything is more intense and the reps are more intense. But I’m so excited for Jet. He works super hard, he’s a very mature young man, it’s important to him. Right away, he had the respect of the team because of how hard he worked. When he got here, he was just like that. … The plays he made in critical situations were just tremendous.”

Added Brennan: “He’s incredibly coachable. Bobby is doing a great job with him and I think Bobby has done a great job of being patient and bringing him along. It’s hard for young players to play, so you have to help them get the reps and experience, so they have a chance to be successful when they go out there.”