From 2021-2023, the Atlanta Falcons were under the control of head coach Arthur Smith, who had previously been the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. His ability to establish a great run-first offense with the Titans is what had landed him a job with the Falcons, but it was a bit of a disaster for Smith and the Falcons.
Smith went 21-30 in three seasons, winning just 7 games in each season which resulted in him being fired at the end of the 2023 season. Smith didn’t have to wait too long to find a new job as he landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as their offensive coordinator.
Pittsburgh was not great on offense, but they weren’t the worst either under Smith. He inherited an offense that was run by Matt Canada, and there was only so much that Smith could do with the offense. In his two seasons with Pittsburgh, he had Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers to work with.
When Mike Tomlin decided to step down, it was a matter of time before changes started to happen at the coaching level within the organization. Today, Tom Pelissero announced that the Steelers are planning to hire Mike McCarthy as their next head coach. Just hours after that, it was reported by Ian Rapoport that Smith was leaving Pittsburgh to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.
Sources: #Steelers OC Arthur Smith is expected to become the next offensive coordinator at Ohio State.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 24, 2026
Smith has received multiple requests for NFL HC and OC interviews this cycle. Smith has engineered multiple top 10 offenses in the NFL, and now he lands in college. pic.twitter.com/TKlLEdwlmh
Arthur Smith takes OC job with Ohio State Buckeyes
Smith will keep the same title, but just heads down to the college level. Then again, Ohio State has an amazing offense that is featured with a quarterback in Julian Sayin and a star wideout in Jeremiah Smith.
Dianna Russini reported that both the Eagles and Titans “had been having conversations” with Smith, but now he will leave the NFL completely to go to Ohio State who has been a powerhouse in college football for many seasons.
It’s a lateral move position wise, but it’s out of the pros. However, that is okay if Ohio State’s offense becomes even more powerful in 2026. If Smith is able to put together a great offense for the Buckeyes next season, it might land him some head coaching interviews in the NFL next season.