Ohio State reportedly hiring Arthur Smith, former Steelers OC and Falcons head coach, as offensive coordinator
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Ohio State is expected to hire Arthur Smith as its next offensive coordinator, according to multiplereports Saturday, meaning that the Buckeyes are poised to have former NFL head coaches coordinating their offense and defense in 2026.
Smith, who received NFL head-coaching and OC interest this cycle, spent the past two seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers' OC and the three seasons before that as the Atlanta Falcons' head coach.
Saturday's news arrived hours after the Steelers hired Mike McCarthy as their next head coach. McCarthy will replace Mike Tomlin, who stepped down from his post earlier this month, voluntarily ending his 19-season tenure and signifying the start of a new era in Pittsburgh.
At Ohio State, Smith will replace Brian Hartline and inherit a star-studded Buckeyes offense that features a Heisman finalist at quarterback in Julian Sayin and an All-American at receiver in Jeremiah Smith.
Hartline accepted the USF head-coaching job last month but stayed with Ohio State for the Big Ten title game and its short-lived College Football Playoff run.
Ryan Day is going back to the NFL well, which brought him defensive coordinator Matt Patricia last offseason. Initially, that hire was scrutinized heavily. But Patricia, who won three Super Bowls as a New England Patriots assistant before his failed Detroit Lions head-coaching stint, made the most of a talent-laden Buckeyes defense that allowed a mere 9.3 points per game this season, the fewest of any FBS team.
Patricia hadn't worked in college football since 2003, when he was a graduate assistant at Syracuse. Similarly, Smith hasn't had a non-NFL job since 2010. At the time, he was a defensive intern/administrative assistant at Ole Miss, where he primarily worked with the team's linebackers.
The following year, Smith began his long climb up the Tennessee Titans' coaching ladder. He stuck with the Titans from 2011-20, starting as a defensive quality control coach and eventually coordinating the Titans' offense during the 2019-20 campaigns. Smith got the most out of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who threw a career-high 33 touchdowns against just seven interceptions in 2020. That season, running back Derrick Henry rushed for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns, as the Titans averaged the fourth-most points per game (30.7) and the second-most rushing yards (168.1) in the NFL.
While Smith led the Falcons from 2021-23, though, they never had a top-10 offense. And they didn't come close in Smith's first or third seasons at the helm. Atlanta went 7-10 each year he was head coach.
Tomlin hired Smith ahead of the 2024 season. The bar was low when Smith took over the Steelers' offense, and he raised it for two seasons while the franchise's revolving door at quarterback continued to swing, with the trio of Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers starting all but one game.
During Smith's brief stay, Pittsburgh leaned heavily on 13 personnel, or three-tight end packages, at least until Darnell Washington went down late this season.
Pittsburgh ranked 11th in the NFL with 127.4 rushing yards per game last season. This time around, however, the Steelers dropped to 26th with 103.3 yards per game on the ground. That said, they found something with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell down the stretch, averaging 149 rushing yards per game over the final four regular-season games, as they took the AFC North crown and returned to the postseason.
But Smith has been criticized over the years for not prioritizing specific playmakers on his teams. There were moments in Falcons games when running back Bijan Robinson was inexplicably absent. And during this Steelers season, tight end Pat Freiermuth's limited targets became a talking point.
Smith will have plenty of offensive weapons at his disposal in Columbus. He'll have to press the right buttons at the right moments, although that's much easier said than done.
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