The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Hires Arthur Smith as Offensive Coordinator

Date: January 25, 2026
Hosts: Doug Lesmerises & Bill Landis (Blue Wire)

Overview

In this lively episode, Doug and Bill react in real time to Ohio State’s blockbuster hire: Arthur Smith, former NFL head coach and respected offensive playcaller, will be the Buckeyes' new offensive coordinator. They break down why this is a unique, high-upside move, address possible concerns about Smith’s NFL background, and contextualize the hire compared to recent OSU coordinator moves. The conversation also explores implications for Ryan Day’s leadership style, staff structure, the future of big-time college football programs, and Smith's schematic tendencies.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Arthur Smith Hire: Surprising, Ambitious, and Overqualified?

• Bill Landis opens by noting this isn't a shocking direction for Ohio State, but Arthur Smith is a bigger name than expected, given his recent tenure as NFL OC and head coach.
  • “Not at all surprised that it’s an NFL guy coming … but the fact that Ohio State’s coordinators are two former NFL head coaches is kinda crazy.” (02:13)
• Doug Lesmerises emphasizes that Smith brings a stacked resume and more credibility than past hires. The key is whether Ryan Day will “fully trust this guy to run the Ryan Day Ohio State offense and offer some tweaks, some fresh ideas” (03:14)—and he believes the answer is yes.

2. Comparison to Previous Hires (Matt Patricia, Brian Hartline)

• The recent Matt Patricia defensive coordinator hire still colors perception, but Smith enters without the baggage Patricia carried after falling out of NFL favor.
  • Smith is “overqualified for this job. He was an NFL head coach, not just some coordinator who got stuck somewhere” (08:31).
• Doug points out that hiring someone with Smith’s profile means you’re not getting a “castoff” as much as a proven commodity who happened to be on the market.

3. Why Arthur Smith Wasn’t Obvious—and Why He’s Uniquely Qualified

• Bill and Doug break down how rare it is for a college program to attract an NFL playcaller in active demand:
  • “I think if Ryan Day was going to get a guy with Arthur Smith’s resume, I figured it would have been after everything in the NFL coaching cycle had shaken out… There are still teams looking for offensive coordinators in the NFL, and I think Smith would have at least gotten more interviews for those.” (09:43)
• Doug describes his own process researching NFL play callers who weren’t calling plays right now: “There are 24 of them, 15 unemployed. There are 13 open OC/head-coaching jobs… that’s good math for Ohio State.” (11:06)

4. Where Smith Ranks Among Potential Candidates

• Doug had Arthur Smith in his “top group” of NFL playcallers—alongside Brian Daboll, Todd Monken, Joe Brady, and Cliff Kingsbury—whom he believed were likely out of Ohio State’s reach.
  • “That’s how qualified I think Arthur Smith is for this job.” (16:24)
• Bill notes Smith belongs in a clear tier above fallback names like Matt Nagy or Greg Roman.

5. Smith’s Schematic Leanings: More Run Game, More Tight Ends?

• Bill highlights Smith’s reputation as a run-oriented mind (former OL/tight ends coach, high rushing rates in Tennessee and Atlanta), which could represent a “double down on the heavier personnel” at OSU.
  • “This is… a bit of a double down on the heavier personnel. We’re going to use more tight ends. We want to be a balanced team, but to do that, we have to be a better rushing team. Arthur Smith will make Ohio State a better rushing team.” (25:30)
• The hosts expect more balance, but not at the expense of OSU’s elite skill talent—Smith’s best past teams excelled with good personnel (see: 2020 Titans).

6. Smith’s Family Wealth and NIL Implications

• Doug quips about Smith’s family being the founders of FedEx: “If Ohio State’s looking for their whale, they just hired an offensive coordinator and they can call him Ahab.” (25:30)
• Bill clarifies the Smiths are Tennessee-based billionaires, but do not own the Titans or have direct CFB financial involvement.

7. Unique Staff Structure and Modern CFB Administration

• The new rules allow OSU to stack 'bonus coordinators' who don’t recruit on the road; Smith will focus solely on game-planning and offense.
  • “There’s no limit on how many coaches you can have. The only limit is the number who can go on the road and recruit… Arthur Smith will not be an on-road recruiter or have a positional designation—he’s just the head coach of the offense, scheming up the game plan and calling the plays.” (27:42)
• This mirrors Alabama’s NFL pipeline approach; hosts see OSU joining a select club of CFB superpowers with this kind of staff (OSU, Georgia, Bama).

8. Potential Drawbacks: Short Tenure and Relationships

• Both hosts acknowledge the reality: you can’t expect NFL-caliber coordinators to stick around in Columbus for a decade.
  • “That’s the cost… You don’t know how long they're going to stay. But if you create this situation, you become a place where other guys like this want to come here.” (32:55)
• Bill points out how OSU must avoid the “mad scientist” effect: “Arthur Smith will have to make sure that he doesn’t become a mad scientist… he’s got to have relationships with the players.” (37:06)

9. Big Picture: What this Means for Ryan Day and OSU’s Ceiling

• The move gives Ryan Day a “right-hand man” on both sides of the ball—veteran voices he needs to lead in a turbulent era.
  • “It should be the head coach and his two lieutenants… It’s Tony Soprano and Paulie Walnuts and the guy from the Bruce Springsteen band, right? You’ve got two capos… a defensive guy and an offensive guy. That’s what they need.” (41:09)
• With Hartline, Day had a rising mentee; with Smith and Patricia, he has peers for strategic dialogues and mutual challenge.

10. What if OSU Hadn’t Made a High-End OC Hire?

• Both hosts consider an alternate reality where OSU promoted from within or Day took playcalling back:
  • Bill: “Borderline disastrous… I think it’s difficult to wear that hat anymore when you’re a head coach in college football. I don’t think that would position Ohio State to be the best version of itself.” (52:45)
  • Doug: “The process that would have led him to that point—I would have worried about instead of acknowledging what worked and looking forward, he felt like he got bitten and is going back to what’s comfortable…” (53:03)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Doug: “This guy’s overqualified for the job. He was an NFL head coach—he’s not just some coordinator who got stuck somewhere.” (08:31)
• Doug (on the context of top NFL OCs): “Arthur Smith was as qualified and on a par with Brian Daboll, Todd Monken, Cliff Kingsbury, and Joe Brady… that's where I am on this hire. That is an awesome group for Ohio State.” (18:41)
• Bill: “When Arthur Smith has had good players, his offense has been really good. And what’s he going to have at Ohio State? Good players.” (45:31)
• Doug (addressing skeptical fans): “If you don’t like this, what do you want? Give me a name. If you don’t want this, you’re effing crazy. Freaking crazy.” (05:43)
• On NIL jokes: Doug (about the Smith family): “Every Ohio State player is just doing FedEx commercials now, getting paid $1.5 million to hold up a cardboard envelope.” (26:43)
• On how rare this is: Bill: “This is the kind of thing that only programs like Ohio State can do… only a handful.” (30:51)
• On Ryan Day’s evolution: Doug: “What a wonderful thing for Ryan Day and Brian Hartline to have that relationship… but in that moment… it should be the head coach and his two lieutenants, right?... that’s what they need. And then they got the Steelers’ offensive coordinator.” (41:09)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:13] - Why Arthur Smith is a uniquely qualified hire
• [05:43] - Doug challenges fans: what more would you want?
• [08:31] - Patricia vs. Smith as overqualified NFL hires
• [11:06] - How OSU found Smith among active/former NFL OCs
• [16:24] - Smith’s placement in Doug's (and national) OC tiers
• [25:30] - Expected schematic impact of Smith’s hire (run game lean)
• [27:42] - Explanation of new ‘bonus coordinator’/non-recruiter role
• [32:55] - Short-tenure realities and Saban/Bama comparisons
• [37:06] - Risks of non-positional coordinators losing player touch
• [41:09] - The need for Day to have two high-level lieutenants
• [45:31] - How Smith’s good offenses are about good personnel
• [52:45] - What if OSU had stuck with playcalling-by-committee?
• [53:03] - Why reverting to 2019-style playcalling would be a mistake

Conclusion

Bill and Doug agree: Smith’s hiring is an aggressive, win-now move that mirrors the best practices of Saban’s Alabama, giving Ryan Day an NFL-caliber staff to maximize the 2026 Buckeyes’ national championship window. There’s risk in terms of tenure and unfamiliarity with college recruiting, but the ceiling is as high as Ohio State could hope for. This is a bold, creative, and possibly defining moment for Buckeye football leadership in the NIL era.

“This is an incredible investment that very few schools are able to do… the strategy behind it and the resume of the person they’re bringing in—it’s unlike anything in college football right now.” – Doug Lesmerises (30:51)