Following Brian Hartline’s departure to USF, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day followed a year-old path to hire a new offensive coordinator. The Buckeyes found the right fit in former Pittsburgh Steelers OC Arthur Smith, who spent most of his career coaching pro athletes. And while it made sense for Day to go the Matt Patricia route, what inspired Smith to return to college?

“It wasn’t really on my radar when Coach Day first called and was feeling out if I’d have any interest, coaching in college football,” Smith told On3‘s Chris Low. “But then I just kind of dug into it. That’s my mindset. I just want the next adventure.”

Ohio State wasn’t the first program to reach out to Smith. In the past, he got an offer from UNC, but the timing didn’t work out. This was before the Tar Heels settled on Bill Belichick as their next head coach.

When Day first contacted Smith over text, he was searching for a job following his departure from the NFL after Mike Tomlin stepped down, but the ex-Steelers OC was not ready to take a college gig. In fact, he wasn’t sure whether it was the OSU head coach’s contact number, so he confirmed it with former OSU QB Will Howard.

Following that, Smith began discussing his OSU role with Day, including the vision and strategy for developing talent. Ultimately, the chance to work with Ryan Day was particularly appealing to the former NFL HC. He even talked to Ohio State DC Matt Patricia, who came to Columbus in 2025 after spending 19 seasons at the pro level as a head coach and assistant coach.

That conversation helped Smith understand whether the transition from the NFL to college would be beneficial for him. But above all, the main reason Arthur Smith accepted the coordinator job just 14 days after Day offered it was his own excitement to learn new things.

“I’ve always been excited that when you get an opportunity for another adventure, it’s a chance to learn something new, learn a different way to do it, and try to enhance yourself and the place you’re going to,” added Smith.

Now, the new OSU OC is using his 15 years of NFL experience to sharpen the skills of the Buckeyes’ already-elite offense, with pieces like 2025 Heisman finalist QB Julian Sayin and junior wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. With such offensive pieces, Smith has a lot on his plate after OSU’s 2025 offensive struggle in the conference title game and first round of the college football playoff.

Why Ryan Day believed in Arthur Smith

Before coming to Columbus, the 44-year-old ex-Falcons head coach had little college coaching experience. He spent one season at UNC as a graduate assistant before working at Ole Miss as a defensive intern early in his coaching career. Despite that, his desire to coach in college impressed Ryan Day, who spent two seasons in the NFL as a QB coach.

“If you have to talk yourself into it, someone is always going to have one foot in and one foot out and say, ‘I’m going back to the NFL. This is crazy. The portal is crazy. These kids are young.’ I’ve seen it before. It doesn’t work,” said the OSU head coach to On3.

“You have to want to do this. Matt [Patricia] wanted to do this. He wanted to build relationships. Arthur [Smith] was the same way.”

In his first season with the Buckeyes, the defensive coordinator led Ohio State’s defense to No. 1 in the country in scoring and total defense. Patricia’s success in college after spending almost two decades in the NFL raised the bar for Buckeye Nation. Now, Smith must meet fans’ expectations.