Ohio State to Hire Ex-Steelers OC Arthur Smith As Next Offensive Coordinator

The Buckeyes are reportedly going back to the NFL well.

Arthur Smith has not worked in college football in almost two decades. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Ohio State has found success in recent years with multiple NFL names on its coaching staff—and the Buckeyes appear to be headed down that road once again.

Ex-Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will be the next offensive coordinator at Ohio State, according to a Saturday afternoon report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Smith, 43, has not worked in college football since 2010, when he was a defensive intern and administrative assistant at Ole Miss. He also worked as a graduate assistant at North Carolina in 2006.

Since ‘10, he has worked in the NFL in several capacities. His work as the Titans’ offensive coordinator helped him get the Falcons’ head coaching job in 2021, where he went 7-10 in all three of his seasons.

Pittsburgh hired him as its offensive coordinator after his firing—only for the Steelers’ attack to rank in the bottom half of the league in total offense in both 2024 and 2025.

The Buckeyes’ previous offensive coordinator was Brian Hartline, who took South Florida’s head coaching job on Dec. 3.

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