Skull Session: Arthur Smith is Ohio State’s Next Coordinator With NFL Head Coaching Experience, Anthony Schlegel Will Caffeinate and Dominate As the Buckeyes’ Assistant Strength Coach

By Chase Brown on January 26, 2026 at 5:00 am
Arthur Smith
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Mike Vrabel, TreVeyon Henderson, Thayer Munford and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are headed to the Super Bowl.

As my dad would say, “How ‘bout them Buckeyes?!”

Have a good Monday.

 STAY WARM, STAY SAFE. Winter Storm Fern is no joke.

I live in Worthington, in north Franklin County, about 15 minutes from downtown Columbus. Franklin County is under a level 3 snow emergency — the first since 2008, 2006, 1978, or maybe ever (!), depending on which report you read.

The weather is so bad that Ohio State canceled classes for Monday and Tuesday on Sunday afternoon — and OSU never cancels classes. I remember my freshman year in January 2019, while living in Siebert Hall, it took the wind chill dropping below -30 degrees for in-person sessions to be moved online. That was the first time Ohio State canceled classes since January 2014 and only the 14th time in 40 years.

My wife and I shoveled three times on Sunday, and yet it didn’t matter. There’s still a blanket of snow covering our driveway and sidewalks. My car is buried underneath — and beside — the snow on the street. It’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Neither is the snow, because Columbus can expect lows in the negatives and highs barely in the teens through next week.

For anyone affected by Winter Storm Fern, please take care of yourselves and those around you. Bundle up, avoid unnecessary travel and don’t push yourself too hard — this storm is serious, and your safety comes first.

 HEY, ARTHUR! Like when he hired Matt Patricia, Ryan Day’s decision to bring Arthur Smith to Columbus came out of left field. Let’s hope it pays off in the same way Day’s Patricia hire did, as Patricia went on to call plays for the No. 1 defense in college football this past season.

As was the case with Patricia, reactions to Day’s hiring of Smith were mixed — though most fans appear content to wait and see. In a poll on Eleven Warriors with more than 4,000 responses, 24% of readers said they love the hire, 8% said they hate it and 68% said they’ll reserve judgment for later.

Why would someone love the hire?

Smith has been an NFL playcaller for the past six seasons, including two as offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans (2019–20), three as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons (2021–23) and two as offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers (2024–25). With that résumé, he shouldn’t have much trouble coordinating a college offense stocked with weapons like Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Bo Jackson — especially if he doesn’t have to worry about hopping on planes to recruit.

Why would someone hate the hire?

Smith didn’t exactly coordinate The Greatest Show on Turf in Atlanta or Pittsburgh. After leading the Titans to back-to-back top-10 offenses, Smith’s Falcons went 21–30 during his three seasons as head coach, with offenses that ranked No. 29, No. 24 and No. 17 in total offense. In his two years with the Steelers, the offense finished No. 23 and No. 25.

That’s not great, Bob!

But that brings us to Door No. 3: wait and see.

Sure, Smith’s recent NFL results leave something to be desired — but the same was once said of Chip Kelly and Patricia. Kelly helped guide the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2024, and Patricia followed that by coordinating a generational defense in 2025.

That’s great, Bob!

So I’ll plop myself firmly into the wait-and-see camp, right alongside most of our readers. Still, if I had to lean one way on the love-to-hate spectrum, I’d tilt toward the former. Smith’s expertise in the run game should pair nicely with Day’s proficiency in the pass game. For a coordinator who once brought out the best in Ryan Tannehill, A.J. Brown and Derrick Henry, it’s reasonable to expect similar results with Sayin, Smith and Jackson.

And perhaps most importantly, with two former NFL head coaches now serving as his coordinators, Day may finally be free to lean into a true CEO role — a shift that could pay dividends as Ohio State navigates roster construction, development and competitive balance in the revenue-sharing and NIL era. That’s enough to make me excited about what the next version of Day’s Ohio State might look like.

 CAFFEINATE AND DOMINATE. The man who inspired me to Caffeinate and Dominate is back on Ohio State’s strength and conditioning staff.

Former Ohio State linebacker Anthony Schlegel rejoined the Buckeyes this week as an assistant strength and conditioning coach under Mick Marotti. He fills the vacancy left by AT Turner, who departed Ohio State to become Brian Hartline’s head strength and conditioning coach at USF.

Schlegel is now one of six former Ohio State players on the Buckeyes’ staff, joining linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, secondary coach Tim Walton, assistant wide receivers coach Devin Jordan, special teams quality control coach Nate Ebner and director of player development C.J. Barnett.

You could’ve read all of that in the piece Dan Hope wrote over the weekend about Schlegel joining the staff. But you didn’t see this:

This video has over 8 million views on YouTube.

Eight. Million.

I expect Schlegel to, of course, Caffeinate and Dominate in his new role, channeling the same kind of energy he once used to tackle that student into Ohio State’s weight room every single day.

 OLYMPIC VILLAGE. Ohio State opened its 2026 artistic swimming season with a statement win Saturday, as the 34-time national champion Buckeyes topped Michigan and Stanford at the Ohio State Invitational. Holly Vargo-Brown’s team totaled 91 points to defeat Stanford (61) and Michigan (31), beginning the season undefeated.

Ohio State set the tone early with a one-two finish in duet, as Scarlett Finn and Emma Spott claimed first place while Keana Hunter and Ruby Remati finished second. Stanford’s pairing placed third.

Remati and Finn followed with another one-two showing in solo competition, and the Buckeyes added a second-place finish in trio behind Stanford’s routine from Rikki Evans, Natalie Smith and Nathalia Valdez.

Ohio State travels to the UIW Invitational in San Antonio on Jan. 31 before returning home Feb. 7 for the Jessica Beck Memorial, where the Buckeyes will face Incarnate Word, Michigan and Richmond.

Elsewhere in Olympic sports, Ohio State wrestling continued its dominant 2025–26 season with a 17–16 road win at No. 6 Nebraska.

The No. 2 Buckeyes improved to 14-0 overall and 3-0 in Big Ten duals after jumping out to a 14-0 lead before the Cornhuskers won five straight bouts to take a 16-14 advantage. Ohio State took the dual when No. 3 Nick Feldman defeated No. 4 AJ Ferrari (an NCAA champion in 2021! Five years ago!) in sudden victory, securing the Buckeyes’ 17–16 win.

 THE DUBCAST. I went solo in this episode of the Dubcast, presenting a Diet Coke version of what Arthur Smith brings to the table as Ohio State's next offensive coordinator.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "In The Air Tonight" - Phil Collins.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. Massive winter storm dumps sleet, freezing rain and snow around much of US... Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile race is coming back to the Indy 500... Study shows how earthquake monitors can track space junk through sonic booms... See how a snowflake forms and why each one is unique... Alex Honnold completes rope-free climb up Taipei 101 skyscraper.

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Ohio State Hiring Former NFL Offensive Coordinator and Head Coach Arthur Smith As New Offensive Coordinator

Arthur Smith

Press Coverage: Ryan Day Finds His Head Coach of the Offense By Hiring NFL Veteran Arthur Smith As Offensive Coordinator

Arthur Smith
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