Former Ohio State star already has his next Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator in mind if Arthur Smith is let go
Ohio State could make a big change at offensive coordinator after the season with Arthur Smith. One former Buckeye has an idea on who should be calling plays next in Columbus.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are in their toughest stretch in years after back-to-back losses to USC and Oregon. Things have gone downhill since QB Julian Sayin suffered a season-ending injury against Indiana, and the Ohio State offense under first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith hasn’t been good enough.
True freshman QB Luke Fahey hasn’t been the reason Ohio State dropped its last two games. Everything around him has collapsed, though, from the defense to special teams. The Buckeyes now sit at 6-3 and are very likely to miss the College Football Playoff.
Arthur Smith’s first season with Ohio State hasn’t gone to plan
Ohio State coach Ryan Day hired Smith from the NFL this past offseason to replace Brian Hartline, who left to become the head coach at South Florida. So far, that decision doesn’t look like it has worked out.
Smith was expected to come in and rejuvenate the run game. The Buckeyes averaged 154 rushing yards per game last season, seven more than they’re averaging now. The running game has been clunky, and RB Bo Jackson hasn’t been able to take the next step. He still has a shot at 1,000 yards, but the overall product on the ground hasn’t been great.
The Oregon loss made things worse. Ohio State went more than 20 minutes of game time without getting the ball to WR Jeremiah Smith, who didn’t see a single target during that stretch. Since then, calls for Arthur Smith’s job have grown louder.
The Buckeyes have already made one staff change after letting go of special teams coordinator Robby Disher. More moves could come, but not right away. Day already confirmed it won’t make any more staff changes before it faces Northwestern in a must-win game on Saturday.
Boom Herron wants Ohio State to make a run at JT Barrett
Former Ohio State RB Boom Herron took to X with his pick for the job if it opens. Herron posted that the Buckeyes should hire Barrett and give him a blank check.
Barrett is the quarterbacks coach for a strong Chicago Bears offense under head coach Ben Johnson. He started his coaching career in 2022 as an offensive assistant with the Detroit Lions and then spent the next two seasons as an assistant quarterbacks coach. Now with the Bears, the 31-year-old is rising quickly through the coaching ranks. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him land an offensive coordinator job soon, whether that’s in the NFL or in college football.
Barrett’s ties to Columbus run deep. He was a star and fan favorite who helped the Buckeyes win the 2014 national championship. As a true freshman that season, he threw 34 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions before an injury late in the year. Cardale Jones led Ohio State the rest of the way, and Barrett finished as a Heisman finalist.
Over his playing career with the Buckeyes, Barrett threw 104 touchdown passes. He also ran for 3,263 yards and another 43 touchdowns. His NFL playing career never took off, but his coaching career is heading in the right direction.
Ohio State moving on from Smith after this season isn’t a lock. Still, it seems to be trending that way. The offense hasn’t been good enough, and the Buckeyes arguably will be less talented on that side of the ball next season.
If the job does open up, expect fans to clamor for Barrett to be an option. A former Buckeye is already on that train, clearly.
