Could this be Ryan Day’s best offense at Ohio State?

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Since Ryan Day took over as the Ohio State football coach in 2019, he has guided some absurdly good offenses. The 2019 team averaged 46.9 points per game with Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, K.J. Hill, and a dominant offensive line. The 2021 team led the country at 45.7 points per game while C.J. Stroud threw to Olave, Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But as we enter the 2026 season, I think there is at least a reasonable chance that this year’s Ohio State offense could end up being the best of the Ryan Day era.

That is obviously an incredibly high bar, and I’m not necessarily predicting that the Buckeyes will score 50 points per game, Julian Sayin will throw for 5,000 yards, or Jeremiah Smith will ascend to an even higher plane of existence than the one he already occupies. But what I do think is possible is that I’m not sure Day has ever had an offense that combines this much elite talent, experience, continuity, depth, and schematic versatility at the same time. While it might not end up having the gaudiest stats — especially if Day continues the trend of running as few offensive plays as possible — I think there is a legitimate chance that this year’s unit could be the most Death Starry of them all.

Arthur Smith could give Ohio State something it has been missing

When Chip Kelly came to Columbus in 2024, he didn’t reinvent football. Ohio State already had Day’s passing concepts, elite receivers, and five-star talent. What Kelly did was bring a different perspective to the offense, particularly in the running game, and the result became increasingly obvious during the College Football Playoff.

Arthur Smith could provide a similar jolt in 2026.

Smith came to Ohio State in January after 17 years in the NFL, including stints as the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator, Atlanta Falcons head coach, and Pittsburgh Steelers OC. The NFL experience obviously matters, but I’m more interested in what kind of offensive coach Smith has traditionally been.

This is not a Ryan Day 2.0 situation, nor is Smith an exact replica of Chip Kelly.

Smith has generally preferred a more physical, run-oriented attack that uses formations, personnel, motion, play-action, and the running game to make everything else easier to execute. Of course, that doesn’t mean Ohio State is suddenly going to turn Jeremiah Smith into a highly decorated downfield blocker while Bo Jackson and Isaiah West run the ball a combined 45 times per game.

But I do think there is an opportunity for some genuine balance; something that has been central to practically every Ohio State championship teams

For all of the remarkable offenses Day has produced, there have been times when Ohio State’s answers to offensive problems have been muddled at best. Brian Hartline’s offense in 2025 remained incredibly talented, but the Buckeyes struggled offensively at the worst possible time, especially in the red zone, in short yardage, and when protection broke down, allowing opponents to make OSU one-dimensional.

Smith brings a different set of instincts.

If Ohio State can marry Day’s passing-game expertise, the absurd talent in the receiver room, and Smith’s more physical approach to running the football, I think this offense could be more difficult to defend than some of the statistically gaudier groups we have seen.

The Buckeyes might have a real 1-2 punch at running back again

It is probably not a coincidence that many of Ohio State’s best offenses have had multiple running backs whom defenses legitimately had to worry about.

Ezekiel Elliott had Curtis Samuel. J.K. Dobbins shared a backfield with Mike Weber early in his career. TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins gave the 2024 national championship team two completely different backs capable of taking over games.

Now, the Buckeyes might have that again. Bo Jackson has already shown what he can do, and after some apparent hiccups early in training camp, has been receiving praise from Day during recent media availabilities. So, if he improves on his freshman campaign, then he remains one of the most naturally gifted backs in the country.

And then there is Isaiah West.

West has been one of the major stories of preseason camp, taking significant first-team reps and generating enough praise that what once looked like a fairly straightforward RB1 situation has become much more interesting.

I don’t particularly care which one starts. In fact, I would almost prefer that we spend the entire season having pointless arguments about which one is technically RB1 while both are getting 12-15 meaningful touches per game.

With Smith calling the offense, an experienced offensive line in front of them, and defenses terrified of what is happening on the outside, there should be absolutely no excuse for Ohio State not to have a dangerous running game to complement an obviously dangerous passing game.

Julian Sayin’s second year as a starter could unlock another level

Of all of the reasons to think Ohio State’s offense could take a major step forward in 2026, the one I might be most interested in is the possibility that Julian Sayin is simply a much better quarterback in Year 2 as a starter than he was in Year 1.

That isn’t exactly a revolutionary concept; quarterbacks are supposed to improve with experience. But with Sayin, the baseline is already incredibly high. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist in his first season as Ohio State’s starter, and now he comes back with a full year of game reps, a better understanding of how defenses are trying to attack him, another offseason in the weight room, more experience to aid in his leadership ability, and more time to refine all of the little things that separate a very good quarterback from an elite one.

That could mean better command at the line of scrimmage, a greater willingness to escape the pocket and scramble, quicker answers against pressure, more confidence manipulating safeties, and a better feel for when to take the easy throw instead of trying to force the spectacular one. Those are not nearly as exciting as throwing a 60-yard touchdown, but they are often the difference between an offense that looks unstoppable for stretches and one that is consistently efficient no matter what a defense throws at it.

And then, of course, Sayin gets to make that second-year jump with Jeremiah Smith still standing out wide.

That part feels almost unfair.

This will be Sayin and Smith’s third season together in Columbus and their second with Sayin as the full-time starter. By now, the two should have a level of trust and timing that you simply cannot manufacture in one offseason. Sayin knows how Smith comes out of breaks, how he adjusts to leverage, where he wants the ball in contested situations, and when he can throw it before Smith even looks open. Smith, meanwhile, knows what Sayin sees and when the quarterback is expecting him to adjust a route.

That kind of continuity matters even more when the receiver in question is probably the best player in college football.

And what makes the whole thing even more dangerous is that Ohio State should not have to ask Smith to do everything. Chris Henry Jr., Brock Boyd, Devin McCuin, Kyle Parker, et al. give the Buckeyes multiple explosive options, while Brandon Inniss provides veteran leadership and a steady presence in a room that still has plenty of youth.

So if Sayin makes the kind of second-year improvement that we have seen from plenty of elite quarterbacks, defenses are going to have an impossible math problem. They can devote extra attention to Jeremiah Smith, but that leaves favorable matchups elsewhere. They can play lighter boxes to protect against the pass, but then Bo Jackson and Isaiah West get to run into them.

While the stats don’t tell the full story, I think anyone who watched the two previous multi-year starters under Day’s leadership — Fields and Stroud — will agree that their second years in his system showed marked improvement in terms of command and execution. Fields’ stats were obviously hampered by the pandemic-shortened season, and Stroud’s 2022 squad had so many blowouts that things were a bit unusual.

Sayin was already good enough to get to New York after one year as a starter; if he is meaningfully better in Year 2, Ohio State’s offense might not just be more explosive. It might be considerably harder to stop.

And perhaps most importantly, the offensive line is old

This might be the part that actually determines whether this prediction proves prescient or preposterous in December. Ohio State returns four offensive-line starters from last season — Carson Hinzman, Luke Montgomery, Austin Siereveld, and Phillip Daniels — while also having legitimate experience throughout the competition for the fifth job. Now that Siereveld has returned to practice following a minor injury, we should start to see how the lineup shakes out in the coming days and weeks.

But when you dig into the snap counts, the experience across the line is even more striking.

Hinzman has played 2,196 offensive snaps, including 2,021 at center. Montgomery has 1,142, primarily at left guard. Siereveld has 1,305 between guard and tackle. Daniels has 1,061 between Minnesota and Ohio State, almost entirely at tackle. Even the players battling for additional roles are not complete mysteries: Ian Moore has 181 offensive snaps, Josh Padilla 166, and Gabe VanSickle 154.

Obviously, none of this guarantees greatness. We saw this line have problems against elite competition at the end of last season, and Ohio State’s offense will only reach its ceiling if the protection and run blocking improve, but experience matters.

Great college football teams are often old in the places where being old most matters. They have offensive linemen who have seen every stunt, blitz, front, and exotic pressure imaginable, and have had plenty of opportunities to gel and mesh together. The group doesn’t have to spend all of September learning how to communicate with the guy standing next to them.

Ohio State has all of the experience along the offensive line — individually and collectively — you could possibly hope for coming into this season.

And when you combine it with two dangerous running backs, a Heisman-finalist quarterback, the best receiver in the game, ridiculous skill-position depth, and an NFL offensive coordinator whose philosophy could provide precisely the counterbalance Ryan Day’s offense has occasionally lacked, you get a group that doesn’t seem to have an obvious weakness.

The 2019 and 2021 offenses might still end up being better statistically — and they were both incredible — but if Arthur Smith can unlock the running game, if the offensive line plays to its experience, and if Sayin and Jeremiah Smith make the leap that their talent and continuity suggest they can, this very well might be the most complete offense Ryan Day has ever had.

And considering the offenses we have all rooted for over the last seven years, that is an absolutely ridiculous thing to be able to say.

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