Arthur Smith’s arrival in Columbus comes with a clear mandate from Ryan Day: fix an offense that has lost its way. Ever since Brian Hartline left, there has been a void which needs to be filled. Now, Day is publicly outlining the high stakes for his new OC before Smith has even called his first play.

Speaking with 10TV’s Dom Tiberi, Ryan Day shared his excitement about the hiring, noting Smith’s extensive experience, making his thoughts clear in a strong message for the OSU faithful.

“He [Arthur Smith] is a great guy, a great experience,” Ryan Day said in a February 20th interview on the 2026 Buckeye Cruise for Cancer. “We hit it off right away. I just think he’s going to bring so much to the table for our team. I think Buckeye Nation’s really going to like what he brings to the table.”

Ryan Day then cited Smith’s experience around great players and teams and expected him to reflect the same for the 2026 season, as their 2026 spring ball practice starts in just under two weeks, on March 10th.

Smith brings a wealth of experience to Columbus, including a successful stint as the Titans’ offensive coordinator and head coaching experience with the Falcons. His recent work with the Steelers’ rushing attack is particularly relevant, which ranked 16th and 15th in points scored in the last two seasons. Throughout his NFL coaching career, Smith’s scheme heavily relied on a rushing offense, which the Buckeyes desperately need to fix..

The Buckeyes, despite dominating the regular season had a subpar rushing attack last season. In 2024 Ohio State’s offense balanced its rushing game effectively, averaging 166.38 rushing yards per game under Chip Kelly. But in 2025, under Hartline, it dropped to 154.36 yards per game, showing a major dip. One of the reasons was losing their top running backs, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.

Arthur Smith is known to use formations with extra blockers like 12 personnel (1 running back, 2 tight ends) or 13 personnel (1 running back, 3 tight ends). He also places the quarterback under center instead of in shotgun, and he uses play-action passes to confuse defenses.

Last season, Arthur Smith helped the Steelers’ rushing offense rank 8th in the league in yards by creating paths for the two backs, Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. With Ohio State returning Bo Jackson, the rushing attack of the Buckeyes is expected to be more aggressive, especially with Arthur Smith calling plays.

But it’s not just the rushing game that can see an improvement, it’s also the redzone attack. When Ryan Day took over offensive play calling duties for the last two games of the season, the rust on him was clear to see, especially on third downs and red zone performance. Against Indiana and Miami, the Buckeyes reached the red zone seven times, but came away with only 23 points.

Ryan Day’s Ohio State has two NFL coaches for 2026

Arthur Smith won’t be the only NFL coach calling plays for the Buckeyes, as Matt Patricia is set to return for the 2026 season to call plays for the defense. He built the Buckeyes’ dominant defense, which led the nation in total defense this past season.

“I’m excited to get back there as fast as we can and get into the game environment,” Matt Patricia said in the February 10 interview with The Silver Bulletin. “Have that game day atmosphere, and get that home field advantage with our fans. And just do everything we can to try to build the defense again. I can’t wait to get them out on the field in front of our group and go have some success, hopefully.”

Patricia’s seamless takeover from Jim Knowles was a triumph that no one expected in Columbus. But this next year will test the old Patriots coordinator even more as he deals with the loss of talent across his defense. Star players like Caleb Downs, Arvell Reese, and Sonny Styles are gone. He does have some plug and play veterans like Alabama’s James Smith and Qua Russaw from the portal. But to return back to last year’s production would be a high bar to reach.

With two NFL coaches in the house, Day sets his expectations high on the system they bring to the table for the 2026 season.

“Now you have your two coordinators; you have two former head coaches in the NFL,” Day said. “So there’s a lot of experience there, and we know that’s something that these guys are going to bring different perspectives to the table. When you have credibility like that, it certainly makes a difference when these guys start with the first practice.”

With Smith’s run-game expertise and Patricia’s defensive prowess, Day has assembled an NFL-caliber staff. The question now is whether this wealth of experience can translate into the on-field discipline and execution Ohio State needs to reclaim a national title.