With Brian Hartline off to head up the USF program, Ryan Day had to hire a fourth offensive coordinator in three years. Bill O’Brien hardly had program-sponsored attire before he jumped to Boston College. Then, Chip Kelly took over and helped the Buckeyes win a national title. Last year, Hartline led the offense and earned a head coaching opportunity. Defensively, Day hit a home run by bringing in fired Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia as the program’s defensive coordinator before last year. Would he try to go back to the same well?
There were rumblings that Day was looking at the NFL ranks again to continue the “Ryan Day Rehabilitation School for Fired NFL Coaches,” but the decision to bring in Arthur Smith was polarizing, to say the least. Kelly and Patricia failed as NFL head coaches but did well as Ohio State coaches. Smith is infamous within NFL circles for his boring, conservative play calling. Fantasy football managers even factored his coaching into their player drafts.
Now, Smith gets the opportunity of a lifetime. Day convinced Smith to join the college ranks despite interest from NFL teams. Was it the right decision?
Trust The Process: Ohio State Hires Another Former Fired NFL Head Coach
Smith’s Path to Columbus
To date, Smith has all of two years of college experience. He was a graduate assistant for North Carolina in 2006 and a defensive intern for Ole Miss in 2011. That’s it.
He spent eight seasons as an assistant with the Tennessee Titans before getting the opportunity to call plays as the offensive coordinator. In his first season as the Titans’ offensive coordinator, the team went 9-7 and made the playoffs as the final wild card. In the playoffs, the Titans took down the third-seeded New England Patriots in the wild-card round. Then, in the AFC Divisional Round, Tennessee blew out the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately, the Titans ultimately fell to the eventual Super Bowl LIV champion Kansas City Chiefs.
In 2020, the Titans took a step, especially on the offensive side of the ball. In the end, Tennessee went 11-5, won the AFC South, and earned the fourth seed. However, that’s as far as it would go as the Ravens got revenge in the wild card round, bouncing the Titans.
Then, things got tough. Smith was hired by the Atlanta Falcons to be the team’s head coach. Unfortunately, he did not have much success. The Falcons posted three consecutive 7-10 seasons and never made the playoffs, resulting in Smith’s firing after the 2023 season.
He was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers to be offensive coordinator ahead of the 2024 season. In that season, the Steelers went 10-7 but fell to the AFC North champion Ravens in the wild card. Last year, the Steelers won the AFC North with a 9-8 record, but they were bounced in the first round again.
Contextualizing His Time
It is no secret that some of Smith’s offenses in the NFL were not the best. In terms of per-game averages, Smith’s play-calling years were all over the place:
| Scoring | Passing | Rushing | Total | |
| 2019 TEN | 25.1 (10th) | 223.9 (21st) | 138.9 (3rd) | 362.8 (12th) |
| 2020 TEN | 30.7 (4th) | 228.3 (23rd) | 168.1 (2nd) | 396.4 (3rd) |
| 2021 ATL | 18.4 (26th) | 218.4 (16th) | 85.4 (31st) | 303.8 (29th) |
| 2022 ATL | 21.5 (15th) | 158.8 (31st) | 159.9 (3rd) | 318.6 (24th) |
| 2023 ATL | 18.9 (26th) | 207.3 (22nd) | 127.0 (9th) | 334.3 (17th) |
| 2024 PIT | 22.4 (16th) | 192.0 (27th) | 127.4 (11th) | 319.4 (23rd) |
| 2025 PIT | 23.4 (15th) | 202.4 (22nd) | 103.3 (26th) | 305.6 (25th) |
Who were the quarterbacks he had to work with? He had Ryan Tannehill (2019, 2020), Marcus Mariota (six starts in 2019, 13 starts in 2022), Matt Ryan (2021), Desmond Ridder (four starts in 2022, 13 starts in 2023), Taylor Heinicke (four starts in 2023), Russell Wilson (11 starts in 2024), Justin Fields (six starts in 2024), Aaron Rodgers (2025), and Mason Rudolph (one start in 2025). Needless to say, expecting Smith to have a top-half passing offense with this collection is wishful thinking.
What else stands out? Smith’s offenses had a legitimate rushing attack, for the most part. The 2025 Steelers were a practice of futility on the ground due to offensive line issues. That 2021 Falcons team was led by Cordarrelle Pattersonand Mike Davis on the ground.
However, when he had a Derrick Henry, Tyler Allgeier, Bijan Robinson, or Najee Harris, the rushing attack was serious.
Stepping back, this hire is less about giving Smith full control of the offense and more about Day recognizing his own strengths and weaknesses. When Kelly called the shots, the Ohio State run game was incredible, led by a pair of second-round picks. Last year, Day and Hartline could not get the run game going as both are pass-first coaches.
Day can trust Smith to fix the run game while he fine-tunes the pass game.
Sell Jeremiah Smith Stock?
Perhaps the most common sentiment on social media is that Jeremiah Smith will be wasted in Arthur Smith’s offense. The new Buckeye offensive coordinator is infamous for his running backs and his love for tight ends. Which, if you’ve followed Ohio State in the Day era, the latter is a change from what has been the mentality.
Last year, Ohio State ran all kinds of 12- and 13-personnel, using as many tight ends as blockers to help the offensive line in the run game. As a result, Smith and Carnell Tate were often taken off the field, much to the dismay of the Fringe.
So, with Smith at the helm, is the potential greatest Ohio State wide receiver in history about to be wasted? Let’s look at the receivers in Smith’s time in the NFL. The 2019 and 2020 teams were led by A.J. Brown, who had 1,051 yards and 8 touchdowns, then 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns, respectively. Tight end Kyle Pitts led the Falcons in 2021 with 1,026 yards and one touchdown. Then Drake London came to town and led the offense with 866 yards and four scores in 2022, and 905 yards and two scores in 2023. In 2024, George Pickens (900 yards, three touchdowns) led the receivers for the Steelers, while D.K. Metcalf led the 2025 receivers with 850 yards and six scores.
So, despite only ever having one top-half (barely) passing offense, Smith’s offenses produced three 1,000-yard receivers. Then, the quarterbacks’ play dropped off a cliff.
Jeremiah Smith will be fine.
Verdict?
The jury will be out on this hire for a while, just as with Patricia. The perceived stink of his failures at the NFL level will hang over the program until further notice. Beating up on Ball State and Kent State isn’t going to change people’s minds. If the Buckeyes can put up a solid offensive day against Texas in Week 2, sentiment may swing toward Smith’s favor.
The thing is, this may be the most offensive talent Smith has had to work with when you compare it to the defenses he will face. This will be the first time he has a talent disparity.
Judging an offensive coordinator but ignoring that motley crew of quarterbacks does everyone a disservice. Will Smith’s offense light it up? It’s possible! It’s also very possible that Ohio State’s offense is just as disappointing as it was in 2025.
Whether this is a good hire or not, Smith is the next offensive coordinator for Ohio State. Day has earned the benefit of the doubt on these hires, so let’s trust the process.
Main Photo: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
