Ohio State’s championship hopes took a major hit after Brian Hartline left for USF. Their offense had surprisingly struggled against Miami and Indiana after weeks of regular season dominance. Now, to make sure that such a situation doesn’t repeat itself, Ohio State brought in Arthur Smith as the new OC to tackle their offensive issues.

Ohio State’s rushing game took a major hit last season. In 2024 Ohio State’s offense balanced its rushing game effectively, averaging 166.38 rushing yards per game under Chip Kelly, but last year 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.

So, hiring Smith can tackle those situations. His playstyle, which involves creating lanes, produced one of the NFL’s most effective rushing attacks during his time with the Titans. Such play calling can add value to Ryan Day’s offense. Last season with the Steelers, Smith’s run game was ranked 8th in the league in yards before contact per rush at 1.4, creating more lanes for the two backs, Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell.

Arthur Smith can also help Ryan Day with his offensive play calling duties after the trouble he faced, 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.

Now, this concern is not just about some games. The red zone inefficiency has been a constant problem for them. OSU reached the red zone 66 times through 13 games, ranking third nationally, but then they scored on only 87.88% of those drives, the 44th-best mark in FBS. But it’s not just the red zone as they scored on just 66.67% of drives and were ranked 36th, showing overall execution problems on offense.

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But now comes the new run-focused offensive style for the Buckeyes. Arthur Smith usually uses formations with extra blockers like 12 personnel (1 running back, 2 tight ends) or 13 personnel (1 running back, 3 tight ends). He often used the quarterback under center instead of in shotgun, and he used play-action passes to confuse defenses. Now, even though NFL and college football are different, running this technique successfully can add more depth to Ryan Day’s offense.

“At Ohio State, Smith is expected to employ a streamlined, run-oriented approach while creating calculated downfield opportunities for Jeremiah Smith and others. Quarterback Julian Sayin is ranked among the nation’s most efficient passers as a redshirt freshman, and a significant leap is anticipated from the Heisman hopeful,” CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford said.

But even with all the glory, there are still some areas Ryan Day needs to focus on.

One thing Ryan Day needs to tackle for the 2026 season

Ryan Day’s tenure shines bright with Ohio State, but his 2-4 record against Michigan is something that lowers the shine. Moreover, he has won only two Big Ten titles during his first seven seasons. Last season too, Ryan Day and his team lost to Indiana in the Big Ten title game, which was their first loss of the season.

Despite sending over 13 first-round picks in the NFL, these are the areas Ryan Day still lacks. Even though Ryan Day has won a national title already, the pressure to win it all again will always remain as long he coaches a blue blood like OSU.

One of their major issues was the offense, which scored only 24 points against Miami and Indiana. But now new OC Arthur Smith is there to tackle that situation. Let’s wait and see if he can do what Brian Hartline could not.