Ohio State is expected to hire Arthur Smith as its next offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports Saturday.
Smith, who spent the past two seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ OC and three seasons before that as the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach, will replace Brian Hartline and inherit a star-studded Buckeyes unit that features a Heisman finalist at quarterback in Julian Sayin and a Biletnikoff winner at receiver in Jeremiah Smith.
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Mike Tomlin hired Smith ahead of the 2024 NFL season after Smith served as the Falcons’ head coach from 2021-23.
But Tomlin stepped down from his post earlier this month, voluntarily ending his 19-season run as Steelers head coach and signifying the start of a new era in Pittsburgh.
The bar was low when Smith took over the Steelers’ offense in 2024, and he raised it while the revolving door at quarterback continued to swing.
During his stay, Pittsburgh leaned heavily on 13 personnel, or three-tight end, packages, at least until Darnell Washington went down late this season.
Pittsburgh ranked 11th in the NFL with 127.4 rushing yards per game last season. This time around, however, the Steelers dropped to 26th with 103.3 yards per game on the ground. That said, they found something with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell down the stretch, averaging 149 rushing yards per game over the final four regular-season games as they took the AFC North crown and returned to the postseason.
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But Smith has been criticized over the years for not prioritizing specific playmakers on his teams. There were moments in Falcons games when running back Bijan Robinson was inexplicably absent. And during this Steelers season, tight end Pat Freiermuth’s limited targets became a talking point.
This story is being updated.