Ryan Day explains not having Arthur Smith on the recruiting trail for Ohio State

Ohio State made a splash this offseason by hauling in former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as its new offensive coordinator. Smith had served as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, but will now replace Brian Hartline (who departed for the USF head coaching position) in Columbus.

Smith returns to college football for the first time since 2010, when he served as a defensive intern/administrative assistant at Ole Miss. The Buckeyes are coming off a somewhat disappointing season for their standards. After completing an undefeated 12-0 regular season, they fell to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship and dropped their first College Football Playoff game to Miami.

Although Smith will be assuming a high-ranking position on Ohio State‘s roster, he will not be an off-campus recruiter. Head coach Ryan Day joined ‘Always College Football‘ with Greg McElroy, where he discussed this decision.

“A lot of the recruiting that happens now, especially in June, is actually when folks come on our campus,” Day said. “So, he’s going to be able to spend a lot of time with our guys. Even this time of year, with spring ball, they’ll be on campus and he’ll be able to spend some time with them and do Zoom meetings. But, we’re limited with how many guys can be on the road.”

Arthur Smith joins star-studded Ohio State coaching staff

Along with the addition of Smith, Ohio State hauled in prominent wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton this offseason. Hankton had spent the past four seasons with LSU, and was previously with Georgia (2018-2021) and Vanderbilt (2015-2017).

“When we made this transition with Brian Hartline leaving, we brought Cortez Hankton in,” Day continued. “He’s a tremendous coach. I think he’s the best wide receivers coach in the country. In early dealings and feedback I’m getting from Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss and our guys, they love him. So, that was a home run because he can focus on the wide receivers and Arthur can focus on the offense.

“That coaching change rule that was made, that allows everyone to get on the field and coach, allowed us to change our numbers. Because we’re already plus-one there and we had the 10 guys designated, this was a position where he wouldn’t be going on the road. But, he’s still going to be heavily involved.”

Smith rose to prominence as the Tennessee Titans’ OC in 2019, where he oversaw one of the greatest offenses in team history. This led to him being tabbed as the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, where he vastly underperformed. He has spent the last two years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, overseeing a postseason run last season.

With the Memphis native leading one of the most star-studded offenses in football, headlined by quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the Buckeyes are seeking a second National Championship in three seasons.