Ohio State Coach Could Be 'Tempted' To Leave For Another College Job
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The Ohio State Buckeyes have two former NFL coaches as coordinators, with Matt Patricia leading the defense and Arthur Smith in charge of the offense.
Patricia, the highest-paid coordinator in college sports, could have an opportunity to get back to the NFL level if he can get his defense to play at a similar level it did in 2025, when three starters made it in the first round of this year's draft.
Smith, a former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He'll join a Buckeyes program that got its previous two offensive coordinators new gigs in the last two years, Chip Kelly and Brian Hartline.
Adam Rittenberg of ESPN noted Smith could field offers for a head coach job in college if he gets the best out of a roster that includes Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, and Bo Jackson.
"Patricia isn't the only former NFL coach on Ohio State's staff who could be tempted to lead a college program," Rittenberg wrote. "Smith, 44, returned to the college game after a 15-year stretch in the NFL, including three seasons as Atlanta Falcons head coach and three seasons as a pro coordinator.
"His management of Ohio State's talent-stocked offense will be under the microscope this fall. Smith is a North Carolina grad with ties to the state of Tennessee and elsewhere."
Earlier in camp, Smith said he likes what he has to work with at Ohio State.
"These guys have been awesome," Smith said, via eleven warriors. "The progress we've made from spring to how we started camp, we just gotta keep stacking these days.
"And these guys are competing, and we've got a lot of depth, and we've got a lot of competition, which is an awesome thing to have."
One interesting job to keep an eye on would be North Carolina. UNC beat TCU in Week 0, but Bill Belichick still needs to prove he turned the program around with a tough schedule through November.
Smith played offensive lineman from 2001 to 2005, and could look to become Belichick's replacement if Ohio State remains in the College Football Playoff conversation.
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