Ryan Day is circling back to the NFL’s talent pool for his next offensive coordinator following the hiring of Arthur Smith, who spent the last two seasons calling plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers after a three-year stint as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. The hire was made official over the weekend.
The ending of Ohio State’s season wasn’t what Day envisioned, not after generating early momentum, along with a No. 1 ranking as an unbeaten prior to the Big Ten Championship.
Smith’s arrival comes with considerable intrigue. He’s more than a production assistant. He’s the maestro of talent and (play) call sheets, tasked with pushing this offense to maximum capabilities to ensure a repeat of what transpired in the conference title game and College Football Playoff doesn’t happen again.
The Buckeyes’ last two outings of the season were unlike any of their previous 12 games — all wins without hiccups offensively. Prior to scoring three total touchdowns in losses to Indiana and Miami, Ohio State was averaging 37 points per game, was the national leader in third-down conversions and flexed Heisman finalist quarterback Julian Sayin as a redshirt freshman.
That fluidity ended when competition stiffened late with explosive plays lacking and execution malfunctions piling up in critical moments. Day’s decision to call plays in the CFP quarterfinal as Brian Hartline juggled duties at Ohio State and South Florida, where accepted a job as the coach of the Bulls, backfired for the Buckeyes, who have always taken a more collaborative approach with play-calling during Day’s tenure outside of Chip Kelly’s one season which ended in a national championship (2024).
Day initially gave up play-calling in January 2024 after he hired Bill O’Brien to lead the offense, but Kelly came over from UCLA three weeks later after O’Brien took the Boston College job.
One immediate positive for Smith is being exclusive to this newly-created management role offensively. Unlike Day’s three previous OCs, Smith doesn’t have a position group to direct after Kevin Wilson worked with tight ends, Kelly with quarterbacks and Hartline with wide receivers. Kelly was essentially Ohio State’s quarterbacks coach by title only, but there were still additional, minor responsibilities that Smith’s not expected to have.
Smith’s lone mission this offseason is to create synergy with the stockpiled talent the Buckeyes are returning along with determining the right buttons to press with a signing class ranked No. 4 nationally, highlighted by 16 transfers. That’s the most portal signings Ohio State has had under Day, eclipsing last year’s cycle (11 players).
Smith has expansive experience in play sequencing, which is what helped the Buckeyes hum during the 2024 CFP under Kelly. Hartline never called plays prior to the 2025 season and his primary strength was his recruiting acumen as a longtime Day assistant .
From a game management standpoint offensively, Smith should be an upgrade given his track record as a play-caller and there’s plenty of other assistants in Day’s arsenal he can send on the road to acquire talent.
NFL hiring trend continues
Day’s impactful ex-NFL hire of Kelly continued with last year’s plug-and-play decision to go with Matt Patricia as his defensive coordinator, replacing Jim Knowles. Patricia hadn’t coached at the collegiate level since 2003, but was a dynamic addition to Day’s staff after guiding Ohio State’s defense to a No. 1 overall showing nationally at 219.1 yards per game — the fewest yards allowed by an FBS team in 14 years.
With Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs as the anchors, the Buckeyes gave up a nation-low 9.3 points per game, reflecting Patricia’s impact en route to being named a finalist for the Broyles Award. The Smith hiring makes it three out of Ohio State’s last four coordinator vacancies filled by NFL coaches. Smith’s only college experience is one season at North Carolina in 2006 and another in 2010 at Ole Miss as a defensive intern.
Smith helped the Steelers win the AFC North title this season for the first time since 2020 behind notable numbers from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The multi-time MVP sang Smith’s praises before his lone season in Pittsburgh.
“I like his flexibility,” Rodgers told the Pittsburgh Tribune–Review last summer. “Arthur is not rigid in what he’s doing. He wants to tailor the scheme to the personnel that he’s got. We’re trying to find what guys do best and implement that into the offense. I love that about Arthur, so we’re going to keep doing that.”
Smith’s astuteness when it comes to putting players in position to succeed based on schematic changes should aid in the development of Sayin as a future high-end draft pick. He was sensational at times during his first year as a starter as one of the nation’s most prolific passers before regressing against a pair of elite defenses over his final two starts.
“This is a guy who is known for aggressive run schemes and is known for great play-action passing. And I think it complements what Ryan Day wants to do in his own philosophy, where he’s great in the pass game,” former Ohio State standout Josh Perry said of the hire from the Buckeyes, via Bishop & Friends on 97.1 The Fan.
Ohio State’s new OC also gets to work with college football’s top returning player, Jeremiah Smith, who’s entering what is likely his final season with the Buckeyes. Projected as a top-five selection in the 2027 NFL Draft, Smith’s 163 receptions for 2,558 yards and 27 touchdowns over his first two years at Ohio State have shattered numerous program marks.
How Smith’s offense will look
As an NFL play-caller the last seven years in a coordinator or head-coaching role, Smith’s offenses have lacked explosion. Much of that, however, involves the lack of weapons and a wide variance in quarterback play. Neither of those two factors should come into play with the Buckeyes given the Big Ten’s most-talented 1-2 punch returning.
There were immediate questions surrounding Ohio State’s defense this time last year coming off of a national title season after Patricia was named defensive coordinator. Day vetted the position, felt like Patricia was the right fit and he was right. Bringing Smith to Columbus feels like a similar move, one that’s not headline-churning at the outset, but could pay off with a few All-American candidates back to lead.
Smith’s offense at Ohio State likely will be zone-read heavy, predicated on how well the Buckeyes can move the football on the ground. He insisted on power rushing schemes at previous stops and that’ll at least be part of the plan in 2026. Bo Jackson and portal addition Ja’Kobi Jackson are expected to be Ohio State’s primary ballcarriers and Smith’s usage of tight ends with the Steelers offers promise for Mason Williams and Hunter Welcing at the position.
Ohio State fans should expect an increase in run-game production — or at minimum — more attention to it. The Buckeyes averaged 154.3 yards per game on the ground, the second-lowest total in the last decade and struggled down the stretch in short-yardage opportunities.
“In the NFL, Smith showed versatility, adapting his offense to the players he had, particularly the quarterbacks,” 247Sports’ Patrick Murphy told CBS Sports. “That will be key for the Buckeyes, as will his run-game schemes, an area where Ohio State wasn’t as successful in 2025 under Brian Hartline. While Smith’s name is often associated with Derrick Henry in 2019 and 2020 when he led the NFL in rushing yards, Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell all career years with Smith running the offense.
“Bo Jackson and the other Buckeye running backs will look to flourish with Smith in the building, marrying his run concepts with Day’s passing game in the hope of recreating what led to a national championship with Kelly in 2024.”
Smith’s reliance on 12-personnel packages with tight ends and multiple backs are only going to work for Sayin and this Ohio State offense if the line produces and can push opposing teams in the trenches.
The two-deep is talented up front, but various battles this spring will provide a better idea of a rotation for offensive line coach Tyler Bowen after he determines the personnel at the line of scrimmage. Smith will do the heavy-lifting with offensive game planning once Bowen’s comfortable with what the Buckeyes are bringing to the table at the point of attack.
Keeping Sayin upright and third downs manageable should bring the Buckeyes back to the spotlight offensively near the top of college football after being outside the top-25 this season in various categories.
The talent level calls for it.
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