The internet had mixed reactions to the Ohio State football team’s plan to hire former Atlanta Falcons head coach and Pittsburgh Steelers assistant Arthur Smith to fill its vacant offensive coordinator role.
Ohio State was bound to search for a new offensive playcaller after former offensive coordinator Brian Hartline was named head coach of South Florida before the end of the college football season.
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Smith has not coached in college since he was an administrative assistant and defensive intern at Ole Miss in 2010. He was hired as an assistant coach for the Tennessee Titans the following year and worked his way up to the team’s offensive coordinator role in 2019 under former Ohio State player and assistant coach Mike Vrabel.
See what reactions came from Smith’s hiring below.
Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith looks on before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel ‘a little surprised’ at Ohio State hiring Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator
ESPN insider Pete Thamel discussed the hiring on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Feb. 26, discussing why the Buckeyes may have gone the NFL coordinator route in the decision, citing Ohio State’s “superior talent” and that Smith can focus on coaching the offense rather than recruiting.
“I was a little surprised at this, to be honest,” Thamel said. “He’s really not a college guy. … I think this can be looked at as part of the trend of the professionalization of college sports, where taking these college jobs now has a little less of a stigma than it used to be because the recruiting demands aren’t what they once were.”
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Thamel said that with less of a recruiting emphasis, Smith can focus on coaching Ohio State’s returning offensive talent of quarterback Julian Sayin, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and a “really good” returning offensive line.
Former Ohio State LB/RB Steele Chambers trusts Ryan Day hiring offensive coordinator Arthur Smith
Chambers said he was initially “a little iffy” about Ohio State hiring Smith, but trusts Ryan Day’s “very short” timeline of success with NFL coordinators, like Matt Patricia.
“I’m hoping that works out with Arthur Smith, but look at his track record. Whenever he was with the Falcons, had a bunch of firepower, just wasn’t as explosive as an offense as it should’ve have been,” Chambers said in a clip from his X account.
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“He’s a run game guru … getting that run game going, got your weapons on the outside. If you can kind of find that happy medium, it’s going to be a really good offense,” Chambers continued.
Bobby Carpenter heard positive remarks about Ohio State offensive coordinator Arthur Smith
Former Ohio State football linebacker Bobby Carpenter told 97.1 The Fan he heard positive things about Smith upon his hiring, citing texts he received from sources who have been around Smith previously.
“If you’re going to throw that out to me, I respect you. … I’m going to trust you with this,” Carpenter said.
See other reactions from fans and the internet below.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Internet reacts to new Ohio State offensive coordinator Arthur Smith
