One Assistant Coach Quietly Reshaping This Ohio State Team

This Ohio State coach is reshaping the Buckeyes' team for the better this season.

Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Arthur Smith watches during football training camp inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus on Aug. 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ohio State made a significant move this offseason by hiring former NFL head coach and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith as the Buckeyes' new offensive coordinator.

The Buckeyes lost their previous offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, who became the head coach at the University of South Florida. Ohio State's head coach Ryan Day ensured that someone with great experience would fill Hartline's role.

It could have been easy for Day to promote an assistant coach to the offensive coordinator role and let Day be the primary play caller since he is an offensive-minded head coach.

But Day did have other plans, which is great for the program.

Day can coach more freely with the addition of Smith

With Smith's addition, Day now gets to lead the entire team, rather than just focusing on the offense. Since Smith has extensive NFL coaching experience, he can lead Ohio State's offense like a CEO.

Smith was the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2020 before leaving to become the Atlanta Falcons head coach from 2021 to 2023, then taking over as the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator for the last two seasons.

When Ohio State won the 2024 national championship, former NFL head coach Chip Kelly was in charge of the offense. This allowed Day to focus more on his role as head coach. The Buckeyes had one of the best runs in college football history, defeating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff.

Day made a huge decision last offseason when defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left to take the same position at Penn State. Instead of promoting from within, Day made a big splash by hiring former NFL defensive coordinator and head coach Matt Patricia.

From day one, Patricia had Ohio State playing like one of the best defenses in the country. Day likely saw Patricia's success on defense last season and wanted to translate it to the offense this season, with Smith as the offensive coordinator.

Ohio State's offense struggled against great teams last season. The Buckeyes didn't play many "big-time" games, but they did face Texas, Indiana and Miami, and they struggled to put points on the board. Ohio State managed to score only 38 points across 12 quarters against those teams and lost two of those games.

Day needed another brilliant offensive mind to help reshape the offense, and Smith can bring that to the table. Smith should be able to incorporate some of the ideas he used in the NFL into Day's offense, which may help it get back on track like it was in 2024.