Ohio State is on the verge of naming its subsequent offensive coordinator and play caller, with former Pittsburgh Steelers OC Arthur Smith anticipated to come back aboard.
Ryan Day’s reported selection of Smith appeared to elicit combined emotions from the Buckeyes fan base, very similar to the hiring of Matt Patricia as defensive coordinator final season. However the transfer strains up with what Day was searching for in a coordinator to exchange new South Florida coach Brian Hartline.
Listed here are a number of ideas on Smith after speaking to some individuals who know him properly.
1. Day wished an skilled play caller and received simply that in Smith. In reality, one may argue that the 43-year-old Smith, who has been calling performs within the NFL since taking on because the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator in 2019, is overqualified for this job. He was employed by the Atlanta Falcons in 2021 to tackle his first head teaching gig, and whereas that ended with a file of 21-30 over three years, his expertise is bigger than any faculty coach Day may’ve employed.
Smith is properly revered across the NFL. Earlier than taking the Ohio State job, he was within the working for offensive coordinator jobs with the Titans, once more, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Individuals in Ohio State’s program are enthusiastic about this rent, and together with his expertise within the NFL, he checks the largest field for Day: an skilled play caller.
2. After final 12 months’s departure of Chip Kelly, handing over play calling to Hartline was the apparent transfer. It was the subsequent step in his growth as a coach. Ohio State had an ideal common season that ended with quarterback Julian Sayin as a Heisman finalist, however the Buckeyes scored a mixed 24 factors of their ultimate two video games, each losses, with Day taking on play calling within the Cotton Bowl. That tough ending is what all people will keep in mind about 2025.
Hiring Smith provides Day the peace of thoughts he had in 2024 when Kelly was working the offense. Although Smith and Day aren’t significantly linked exterior of former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard taking part in beneath Smith final 12 months and Smith being the coordinator for Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, Smith’s expertise working offensive staffs will give Day confidence.
3. It’s necessary to notice that whereas Smith will run the offense, that is nonetheless going to be Day’s program, and it’ll proceed to have his philosophy within the passing recreation. However Smith has some similarities to Kelly in that he can convey some innovation and a contemporary perspective to the Ohio State working recreation.
He has an offensive line background, as he performed guard at North Carolina and coached the offensive line and tight ends in his time with the Titans earlier than he turned offensive coordinator. Led by star working again Derrick Henry, the Titans have been third within the NFL in dashing in 2019 and second in 2020. The Falcons struggled in 2021, ending thirty first within the league in dashing, however with Tyler Allgeier because the main working again, Atlanta was third with 159 dashing yards per recreation in 2022. The Falcons then thrived once more in 2023 with Bijan Robinson. Final season was the primary time that an offense coached by Smith completed within the backside half of the NFL in dashing yards since 2021 with the Falcons.
4. Smith did a pleasant job with the run recreation in Atlanta, however offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford was additionally a giant cause for the Falcons’ success. There was a cause why Ledford was stored on workers after Smith was fired and Raheem Morris took over. Though new Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski moved in a special course, there was a perception within the NFL on the time that Atlanta had probably the greatest offensive strains within the NFL, and that was constructed across the relationship between Ledford and Smith.
That can be one thing to observe as Smith will get to know Ohio State offensive line coach Tyler Bowen.
Bo Jackson rushed for 1,090 yards as a freshman at Ohio State. (Raymond Carlin III / Imagn Pictures)
5. The final time Ohio State had a coordinator who knew the run recreation like Smith, it gained the nationwide championship. That’s to not say that this 12 months’s working again group led by Bo Jackson is pretty much as good because it was with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, however the Buckeyes’ floor recreation lacked parts of creativity and explosiveness in 2025 that Ohio State hopes Smith can convey again.
However whereas Smith is confirmed within the dashing recreation, questions linger about his work with the passing recreation. In his seven years calling performs, he entered the season with six completely different quarterbacks. He had two years with Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee, and in Atlanta, he had a 12 months with Matt Ryan, started 2022 with Marcus Mariota and went into 2023 with Desmond Ridder, earlier than having Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh. None of his groups completed higher than sixteenth in passing yards per recreation.
That’s the place a lot of Ohio State followers’ concern stems from, as a result of Smith isn’t recognized for being overly inventive within the passing recreation. Gifted receivers together with Drake London and Kyle Pitts have struggled to thrive beneath Smith, and the connection between Rodgers and DK Metcalf in Pittsburgh final season underperformed in comparison with expectations.
6. Although that concern is honest, there’s a perception that Day and his workers can mesh Day’s passing recreation with Smith’s thoughts within the working recreation, very similar to they did in 2024 with Kelly. One key distinction between then and now, nevertheless, is that Hartline is gone as receivers coach. Whereas Hartline struggled at instances as a coordinator, his familiarity with the receivers and the way Day thinks was a giant assist through the Buckeyes’ nationwide championship run. Now, Ohio State has a brand new receivers coach in Cortez Hankton, too.
That’s to not say the passing recreation gained’t succeed. Day will chime in when wanted, and the Buckeyes convey again an skilled offense led by Sayin and All-American receiver Jeremiah Smith. It could take a while to jell, however I don’t assume the passing recreation will wrestle in the long term. Day’s impression on the passing recreation can be felt, even when he doesn’t name performs or micromanage issues within the conferences.
7. With this rent, Day is making it evident that his mannequin now could be skilled play callers who don’t need to multitask with place teams or quite a lot of recruiting.
Ohio State will enter the season with two former NFL coordinators in Smith and Patricia. Whereas Patricia does do some recruiting, neither he nor Smith has a place group. As a result of Day doesn’t plan on eliminating any place coaches, Smith gained’t need to go on the highway and recruit.
I’m curious if this method catches on across the nation, particularly if Ohio State goes on one other nationwide title run. I’m unsure, nevertheless it does present Day’s willingness to make Ohio State extra like an NFL workforce. And it appears to be an intriguing place for NFL coaches who don’t wish to recruit however may also get a 12 months to teach elite gamers and reestablish themselves.
