James Smith is in his sixth season as part of the Merrimack College football coaching staff in 2022. He is currently serving as tight ends coach

.He coached Tyler Roberts during the 2021 season, who claimed a pair of major honors after the season. He was tabbed an All-New England player and was also honored as a first team All-NEC player. The junior had 52 receptions in 11 games with six touchdowns and 535 yards. 

Previously at Merrimack, Smith has worked with the team's running backs. Last fall, Smith oversaw a young-but-promising group that eclipsed 100 yards rushing in all but one of the team's 10 games. That followed a 2017 campaign during which Smith helped coach NE10 All-Conference Second Team selection Derrick Villard '18 to a historic season. Villard finished with 1,001 rushing yards, becoming only the third player in program history to finish with over 1,000 yards in a season while ranking third-most by any player in single-season program history. He also finished with 10 touchdowns on the year, becoming just the fourth Warrior to post 10 rushing scores in a single season. He also ranked second in the league in rushing average (100.1) and touchdowns (10).