Ryan Day confirms suspicion about his major offseason coaching move for Ohio State after Brian Hartline’s departure
Brian Hartline’s exit from Ohio State opened a welcomed door for the Buckeyes.
The Brian Hartline leaving the Ohio State Buckeyes news broke ahead of the Big Ten Championship this past season and there’s no doubt it stung.
Losing Hartline is the Buckeyes losing their top recruiter and wide receiver guru. Hartline was always going to leave, but it was a bit of a surprise that he left for South Florida.
Ohio State’s decision to hire its new offensive coordinator from the NFL looks like a real win right now. Of course, how well it goes will be dictated by the success the Buckeyes can capture in 2026.
Ryan Day opens up about the decision to hire Arthur Smith from the NFL
“It’s been great to him. It’s almost been refreshing to be around some of these young players,” Day said on The Jim Rome Show. “I know he’s excited about some of the talent he has. And I wanted to make sure we had somebody in here that not only had experience calling it in big game, but somebody who can be the head coach of the offense.”
Which will allow me to pick up a different perspective this season. It was great to have Matt on defense and Brian did a great job as well, but this year will allow me to step back even more and do as much as I can from the head coaching seat.”
Day’s decision to go to the NFL and hire Matt Patricia to coach the defense was a major success for the 2025 season and really beyond it appears. Patricia is the head coach of the defense which allows for Day to be more hands-off. Bringing in a former NFL head coach for the offense feels like the same idea.
When Day was in a similar scenario in 2024 with Chip Kelly running the offense, the Buckeyes looked their best and they captured a national championship as a result. Down the stretch run of the 2025 season, Day took over play-calling from Hartline, and it wasn’t an ideal scenario. The hope is Ohio State doesn’t have to do such a thing in 2026.
Smith’s run game and background with tight ends should mesh well with the passing attack Ohio State already boasts. Smith is just 43 years old, so it’s unlikely he sticks around Columbus long as a play caller before gaining another opportunity.
Ohio State’s decision to go to the NFL and get Smith took a bit to happen, but once it did it made a ton of sense. Ohio State has two veteran play callers for the 2026 season and that’s promising with QB Julian Sayin and WR Jeremiah Smith returning.
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