“WHERE I WANTED TO BE.” When Ryan Day first reached out to Arthur Smith about coming to Ohio State, coaching in college football wasn’t exactly at the top of Smith’s list. But the more Smith learned about the opportunity, the more he realized Columbus was exactly where he wanted to be.
“It wasn’t really on my radar when Coach Day first called and was feeling out if I’d have any interest coaching in college football,” Smith told On3’s Chris Low this week. “But then I kind of dug into it. That’s my mindset. I just want the next adventure. It was the same way when Coach (Mike) Tomlin called me. I wasn’t really thinking about Pittsburgh until he called, and I was halfway across the world after I’d been let go in Atlanta. I didn’t know Mike T that well. I knew him casually as peers, so you just never know where this profession takes you.
“I’ve always been excited that when you get an opportunity for another adventure, it’s a chance to learn something new, learn a different way to do it and try to enhance yourself and the place you’re going to.”
After sitting down with Day and talking with Matt Patricia about his experience in Columbus, Smith quickly became sold on the opportunity to coach for the Buckeyes.
“It’s Ohio State. It’s a chance to work with Coach Day,” Smith said. “Obviously, he’s had a heck of a run here and has the highest winning percentage of any active coach. And then talking to Matt about his time here and how much he’s enjoying it, mostly because of the kind of players we’ve got, only reinforced that this is where I wanted to be.
“He was right. The kids here have been awesome.”
Day, meanwhile, knew Smith had to genuinely want to make the jump from the NFL to college for the partnership to work.
“The first thing is you have to want to be in college,” Day said. “If you have to talk yourself into it, someone is always going to have one foot in and one foot out and say, ‘I’m going back to the NFL. This is crazy. The portal is crazy. These kids are young.’ I’ve seen it before. It doesn’t work. You have to want to do this. Matt (Patricia) wanted to do this. He wanted to build relationships. Arthur was the same way. He came over to my house. We spent five hours together at my house. You could tell by the look in his eyes he wanted to coach in college.”
After 15 years in the NFL, Smith could have viewed Ohio State as a temporary stop before returning to the league. Instead, he sees an opportunity to experience something completely different — and one that came with the chance to work alongside Day and coach one of the most talented rosters in the country.
Now, Smith gets his “next adventure” in Columbus. And judging by his comments, Smith is thrilled he answered Ryan Day's message.
“There’s just an appreciation to be at a place like this and have a chance to get where we all want to go,” Smith said. “I’m excited for the atmospheres, the traditions, the rivalries and all that stuff that make college football so cool. … It’s a different type of fandom.”
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