Following an abrupt end to his NFL season with a Wild Card round loss while with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ohio State offensive coordinator Arthur Smith didn’t require much persuasion to return to the college ranks.
The veteran NFL play-caller said a conversation with Buckeyes’ head coach Ryan Day, along with his existing familiarity with the program, made the decision an easy one.
In his first meeting with the media since he signed with Ohio State to become offensive coordinator on Jan. 31, Smith revealed that a combination of relationships and past experiences with former Buckeyes ultimately drew him back to the college game.
“Well, there’s several factors,” Smith said. “First and most importantly was the respect I have for Coach Day. He reached out and we had a good conversation. I came down here and spent some time with him and just kind of weighed my options.
“I had such a good experience with some of the players that have come through here that I’ve gotten the privilege to coach. So, I was intrigued. I weighed my options and talked to a lot of people, including Mike Vrabel, who’s a great Buckeye and a great friend of mine and it just made sense.”
Prior to joining Ohio State, Smith had spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2024-25, coaching the likes of all-time great quarterback Aaron Rodgers as well as former Buckeye Will Howard.
Before that, Smith was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2021-23 and the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans from 2019-20, spending a total of nine seasons in Nashville from 2011-20 in a variety of roles.
During that span, Smith built relationships with several former Ohio State players, which he said ultimately influenced his decision, pointing to the high character of those who came through the program.
“I knew that from the type of character and the guys that I’ve been around,” Smith said. “We had Will Howard last year. I had Justin Fields. We drafted Jack Sawyer. I had Jeff Okudah in Atlanta. We drafted Zack Harrison. Coach Day has done a great job not only getting great players, but great people here.”
Though he was impressed by the players he had coached in the NFL who came through the Ohio State program, Smith said he wasn’t actively considering a return to college football.
However, once the opportunity arose, and given the timing, he said the move ultimately felt like the right fit.
“Not really, I was just trying to weigh my options,” Smith said. “The way the season (in Pittsburgh) ended abruptly and obviously Coach (Mike) Tomlin stepped away and we had just been in the playoffs. So it hits you fast in these cycles, but Coach Day was awesome. I took a couple days and weighed everything, talked to people and I was really just excited to get an opportunity.”
Now settled in Columbus, Smith said his attention has shifted to evaluating and evolving the Buckeyes’ offensive approach.
Despite Ohio State’s offense ranking among the best in college football in recent years, Smith emphasized the importance of continuous improvement rather than relying on past statistical success.
“Even if you’ve had a great year statistically in certain categories, you’ve got to look for constant improvement,” Smith said. “There’s an evolution and you don’t want to get stale.
“So you’re evaluating everything and things that you want to implement, things that you want to obviously keep that they’ve done really well. So that’s what’s great about the college calendar is we’ve got a lot of time to work with the players and you get these opportunities in spring ball and a lot of time to prepare.”
