Ryan Day makes telling statement about Ohio State football’s surprising but exciting coaching staff addition from the NFL
Ryan Day went back to the NFL to get another key coach for the Buckeyes.
The Ohio State Buckeyes made a big move last week, bringing in another coordinator from the NFL.
Ohio State hiring Arthur Smith as the next offensive coordinator to replace Brian Hartline feels like a real win on paper. Hiring Matt Patricia last season to take over the defense worked very well for the Buckeyes.
Ryan Day is feeling good about this hire, too.
Ohio State believes it hit a home run with Arthur Smith’s hiring
“I think we’ve hit a home run here when you look at all the different things,” Day said recently on 97.1 The Fan. “I can’t get into the details of the background and all that, I think I will at some other point, but I think it’s easy to see when you talk to people who know football.
“I just got so many text messages that, ‘Hey man, what a great hire,’ and all those things. So we’re very, very excited. In even a short period of time, you can already see some of the connections that are being made here.”
Smith most recently served as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he brings multiple years of head-coaching experience from his time with the Atlanta Falcons. Ohio State’s offensive coordinator also had time as the play-caller for the Tennessee Titans.
Ohio State had great success with Chip Kelly as the play-caller in 2024, which allowed Day to step back and take on a more CEO-like role. Hartline had an up-and-down year as a first-time play-caller, and it was clear that Day had to be heavily involved. That shouldn’t be the case with Smith taking over.
The expectation is that the offense will marry Day’s passing concepts with Smith’s running game.
If it works out the way that the Buckeyes think it can in Jeremiah Smith’s final season in college, Ohio State will be playing deep into next January.
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