When news broke that former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith had been hired to take the offensive coordinator position at Ohio State, it didn’t make much of a splash in the college football world. We think it’s a little underrated, but we’ll get a feel for what kind of marriage this is throughout next year’s season.
But that didn’t stop some members of the media from getting involved, and one of those moments occurred on the Pat McAfee Show when ESPN senior writer Pete Thamel appeared on the show with McAfee, former OSU linebacker and frequent co-host AJ Hawk. Thamel explained the changing landscape of college football and how NFL coaches are competing in the changing college game to reshape themselves, but then reacted to the hire, saying he was “a little surprised” by the hire.
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Temel didn’t go on to criticize head coach Ryan Day or Smith’s actions, other than to point out that the college game is starting to become more similar to the NFL and how attractive it is for a guy like Smith to come to a place like Ohio State and have a talent advantage in most of the games he coaches.
You can listen to the entire segment below, thanks to the Pat McAfee X account.
While this may be seen as a growing trend, let’s remember that Ohio State has made moves like this before, long before the so-called trend even existed. Among its staff are Greg Schiano, as well as Chip Kelly, and of course Matt Patricia, who joined the fight last season. It looks like Ohio State might be the standard setter in this regard.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: ESPN writer ‘surprised’ by Ohio State’s hiring of Arthur Smith
