Ohio State expected to hire Arthur Smith, longtime NFL coach, as offensive coordinator

Ohio State is expected to hire Arthur Smith as its next offensive coordinator, sources tell CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. The former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Smith spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

At Ohio State, Smith will take over an offense that has run like a well-oiled machine under coach Ryan Day as he replaces Brian Hartline, who took the head coaching job at South Florida. Smith is the second former NFL head coach hired by Day in a three-year span. Chip Kelly ran the Buckeyes’ offense in 2024, helping the team win a national championship before returning to the NFL. 

This past season, the Buckeyes were the No. 1 team in the country before falling to eventual national champion Indiana in the Big Ten Championship. After having a first-round bye, Ohio State then fell in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals to Miami, the national runner-up. 

In Columbus, Smith inherits a star-studded group on offense headlined by quarterback Julian Sayin and receiver Jeremiah Smith. But Smith hasn’t coached in the college ranks since 2010 when he was a defensive intern at Ole Miss. Prior to that, he was a graduate assistant at North Carolina, his alma mater, in 2006 after he played for the Tar Heels as an offensive lineman from 2001-05. 

Smith, however, does have extensive NFL experience having worked for four different franchises. He spent the bulk of his coaching career with the Tennessee Titans, where he worked his way up from a defensive quality control coach to offensive coordinator under Mike Vrabel, an Ohio State alum. Smith then parlayed that success into a coaching job with the Falcons.

In his three seasons with Atlanta, Smith went 21-30 — three straight 7-10 finishes — without a playoff appearance. After his firing, Smith landed with the Steelers as their offensive coordinator in 2024.

In Smith’s first season leading the offense — and with a combination of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson at quarterback — Pittsburgh ranked 16th in the NFL at 22.4 points per game. This past season, with Aaron Rodgers under center, that number rose to 23.4 points per game. That ranked 15th in the league.

The Steelers won the AFC North but fell in blowout fashion to the Houston Texans in the wild card round. Soon after, longtime coach Mike Tomlin stepped down. Earlier Saturday, the Steelers agreed to hire Mike McCarthy as their next coach.