Arthur Smith is set to become the Ohio State Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Smith is departing the Pittsburgh Steelers on the same day Mike McCarthy agreed to a deal to become the franchise’s next head coach.
Smith interviewed and failed to get multiple jobs across the NFL this month. Now, he heads to the college game.
Smith interviewed for offensive coordinator openings with the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers but did not receive an offer from either team. The Tennessee Titans turned him down for their head coach vacancy, though reports indicated he was in the mix to become the team’s offensive coordinator, a role he held in 2019 and 2020. The Arizona Cardinals interviewed Smith for their head coaching gig, but he wasn’t viewed as a front runner.
Now, Smith will head to Columbus and join Ryan Day’s staff. It’s unclear what direct connections the two have but Pittsburgh heavily scouted and ultimately drafted Ohio State QB Will Howard last April. That included Smith attending Buckeyes Pro Day. Now, Smith will coach Howard’s former team. He will replace Brian Hartline, who left to become the head coach at South Florida.
Smith spent two years as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator. He produced better results than past coordinators, and the Steelers’ 15th- and 16th-place scoring rankings were the team’s strongest finishes of the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. However, an unimaginative drop-back passing game was an obvious issue. As was inconsistent targets for top pass-game targets like WR DK Metcalf and TE Pat Freiermuth. Smith was known as one of the NFL’s most tight end-heavy and run-minded coordinators.
It will mark Smith’s first collegiate job since spending 2010 as an intern at Ole Miss. In 2025, he turned down the chance to become head coach at North Carolina, his alma mater, a job that later went to Bill Belichick.
Ohio State went 12-2 in 2025 with the FBS’ 21st-ranked scoring offense at 33.4 points per game. Smith will get to work with QB Julian Sayin and WR Jeremiah Smith, two of football’s best at their respective positions.
Smith is the third member of Pittsburgh’s 2025 coaching staff to exit. Assistant defensive backs coach Anthony Midget took a job at his alma mater Virginia Tech even before Mike Tomlin resigned as head coach. Longtime special teams coordinator Danny Smith took the same job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
