Ryan Day announced a series of coaching staff updates this week that reinforce the Buckeyes’ championship standards. Two coaches on the list were his offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, and his defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia, both of whom had earlier served as NFL head coaches.
Ryan Day Speaks on Ohio State’s Potential with Arthur Smith and Matt Patricia in Staff
Day said on Tuesday that having two former NFL head coaches, Smith and Patricia, allows him to spend more time around the program with players and coaches, as well as to focus on matters like NIL.
“It’s a different mindset,” Day said.
Day also explained that Ohio State gains a recruiting advantage by employing coaches with NFL backgrounds. While NIL opportunities are important to recruits today, he said that player development still plays a major role, which is an area where Ohio State believes it can stand out.
Patricia’s first season as defensive coordinator was highly successful, with the Buckeyes allowing only 9.3 points and 219.1 yards per game in 2025. The defense also finished fourth nationally in the PFSN College Football Defense Impact Metric with a score of 95.4.
Patricia’s upcoming second season in Columbus will be notable because it marks the first time since his tenure with the Detroit Lions from 2018-2020 that Patricia will remain with the same team for more than one year. He had options and opportunities to leave this off-season, but he stayed, and Day said he knew how important it was to retain Patricia.
Day said Patricia came back for several reasons, including Buckeye fans.
“His family loves it here. The city of Columbus has embraced them,” Day said.
Meanwhile, Smith joined Ohio State this offseason as offensive coordinator after spending 17 years in the NFL. He worked with quarterbacks such as Ryan Tannehill, Justin Fields, and Aaron Rodgers, helping them improve both statistically and in terms of team success.
Day said, “It’s been great to be around Smith the past couple of months. He also said that Smith is especially strong in designing the run game while also having a strong understanding of the passing attack.
“Arthur is very intelligent. He’s been around it before,” Day said.
It was also revealed on Tuesday that Ohio State will pay its assistant coaching staff $15.3 million in 2026.
Patricia will earn $3.75 million next season as part of a new three-year contract, making him the highest-paid assistant coach in college football. His salary will increase to $3.85 million in both 2027 and 2028, bringing the total value of the deal to $11.45 million. It will also place him among the top 60 highest-paid head coaches in the country.
Smith will make $1.5 million in 2026 and $2 million in 2027 on a two-year deal. Co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Tim Walton will earn $1.8 million, while associate head coach and defensive line coach Larry Johnson is set to make $1.6 million. Co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Keenan Bailey will receive $1 million.
Offensive line coach and run game coordinator Tyler Bowen and passing game coordinator/safeties coach Matt Guerrieri will also each earn $1 million. Wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis are scheduled to make $900,000 each, while quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler will earn $750,000. Running backs coach Carlos Locklyn is set to receive $700,000, and special teams coordinator Robby Discher will make $400,000.
