The biggest question for Ohio State in the 2026 season is how Arthur Smith’s addition as offensive coordinator will affect the team’s identity. After all, Ryan Day and Brian Hartline have painstakingly built it in these past few years. Former Buckeye icon Mike Vrabel, however, is all in on the new man in charge. But even he understands that Smith has a challenge in front of him.

Attending the NFL Combine on February 25, the Patriots head coach endorsed Smith as the right hire for Ohio State. The duo worked together at Tennessee, where Vrabel was the head coach. Drawing on their time together in Tennessee, Vrabel assured OSU fans the offense was in good hands.

“I think Arthur’s got a physicality to him, a toughness to him that he wants to put onto the football field offensively,” Vrabel, who signed a $17 million contract, told the press. “He’s created enough, has worked with a number of different players, that I think they enjoy some of the wrinkles that he has. I think he’s got some core concepts that he enjoys. And he’s always been an aggressive play caller.”

Smith does have only two years of college football experience, which some flag as a concern. But with him on board, Ryan Day is getting a lot of valuable NFL experience for an offense that can benefit from NFL-caliber schemes. Smith’s excellent play-calling is a critical factor. Ohio State’s success in 2024 and struggles in 2025 were both tied to the quality of its offensive schemes. Hartline, who called plays for the first time in his career last season, was eventually relieved of those duties by head coach Ryan Day during the playoffs. Though not claimed, some allege this was due to Hartline being hired as the HC for USF at the time.

Smith created two of the most electric offenses for the Titans. In his first year as OC, Smith oversaw the highest-scoring Titans team in 16 years. Star players like Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill, and Jonnu Smith had career years. Arthur Smith was praised for his play-calling in the Titans’ 28–12 road victory over the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round, famously taking down MVP phenomenon Lamar Jackson. In 2020, the Titans ranked fourth in scoring and second in total yards. They made the playoffs both times.

Some might say that Smith may have benefited from having Derrick Henry on his squad. But so does every coach, who has a future Hall of Famer. The coaching of these superstar athletes is also what allows them to maximize their talent on the field on Sundays. Furthermore, after a failed experiment with the Falcons, Smith was made OC to the Steelers, where he worked with another future Hall of Famer in Aaron Rodgers.

In his stint with the Steelers, he also developed a strong rushing attack, totaling 2,010 yards in the 2024 season. OSU also needs some of that in its own backfield, having averaged only 159.4 rushing yards per game in 2025.

The main issues come up when you view his time with the Falcons. He was hired in January 2021 and fired by January 2024. During his tenure, the team never made the playoffs and he was criticized for how the team was coached. The difference is that being a HC is different from being an OC. Sometimes certain people just excel at being coordinators. Look at Josh McDaniels and his failed head coaching stints with the Raiders and the Broncos. But the moment he returned as the OC of the Patriots, the team reached the Superbowl game.

At Columbus, Arthur Smith will get to work with elite offensive talent. He is surrounded by playmakers at every level, which should be enough for Smith to carry on the legacy at OSU. Vrabel knows that the Smith’s hiring carries weight in the program. The latter did face a troubling time at Atlanta as head coach, but he got there because of his successes as an offensive coordinator.

“I think what he does is going to be plenty, that’s to put the players first, make connections with them [and] do what the players do best,” said Vrabel.

However, the Buckeye star did give OSU fans something particular to look out for in Arthur Smith’s offense.

Vrabel lauded Arthur Smith’s aggression with a playful dig

Vrabel is an exceptionally good judge of Smith’s potential as an offensive coordinator. It was the former who took the risk of promoting the latter to that role, his first in the league, and it paid off well. Based on the wins he got by having Smith leading the offense, he encouraged Ohio State fans to never settle for a mediocre result.

“For all the Ohio State fans, I guess we have somebody to complain to if they don’t score 50 points a game like every other Buckeye fan does,” Vrabel said, smiling.

Mike Vrabel said this because Smith remained capable of reaching those high scores. In fact, in his very first game as OC, the Titans racked up 43 points against Cleveland. That same year, the team registered 42 points against the Jaguars and the Raiders. In 2020, Smith scored more than 40 points five times in the regular season. His peak score was 46-25, made against the Detroit Lions.

That kind of experience is coming to Columbus, which posted a points-per-game average of more than 40 from 2018 to 2022. Ryan Day is known for these kinds of offenses, and so is Arthur Smith. The Buckeye offense is quietly getting back into business under the new OC, potentially taking off right where they left last season.