Quarterback Julian Sayin (10) and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith at Fall Training Camp in early August. Credit: Cassandra D’Angelo | Sports Photo Editor.
At Ohio State, Arthur Smith is the new guy. Quarterback Julian Sayin, somehow, is the veteran.
Smith, the Buckeyes’ new offensive coordinator, arrived in Columbus in January after 17 seasons of coaching in the NFL. Sayin, entering his second season as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, led the country in completion percentage in his first season under center.
Now, the two can learn from one another.
“It’s been a lot of fun working with him, and obviously somebody who [has an] extremely bright offensive mind,” Sayin said in an Aug. 8 interview. “When you have someone who has an NFL background like that, coached at the highest level and been an NFL head coach, it’s really awesome for our development as players.”
Smith, a former head coach for the Atlanta Falcons and offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers, has coached former NFL MVP quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers at later stages of their careers.?
He explained how much he has learned from those experiences and those players.
“A lot of times in pro football, you get guys that get on these long runs in the same play caller and quarterback, and I’ve had that, and it’s been really good for me,” Smith said. “You don’t assume anything because everybody sees the game and everybody’s different, so it’s not like one size fits all. So that experience has helped me a ton.”
Now Sayin, who emerged as one of the country’s top signal callers last season, is the latest quarterback Smith is working with.?
As a 2025 Heisman Trophy finalist, Sayin threw for 3,610 passing yards and 32 touchdowns and was second in the country in quarterback rating at 177.46.?
“[Sayin] continues to impress. He doesn’t feel like a young player to me because he sees the game so well,” Smith said. “He understands football. He’s so smart.”?
Smith says due to how smart Sayin is regarding the game, he’s constantly ready to learn something new after getting one thing taken care of.
“Sometimes I have to pull him back to be like, ‘Hey, [you’ve] gotta let everybody else catch up to you.’ You know, we talk about one thing, and he’s ready to [go]. But that’s a great problem to have,” Smith said. “[I’m] super impressed with him. I mean, he understands how to play quarterback and understands the game.”
After hiring former NFL head coach and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator a year ago, the Buckeyes have followed a similar path of bringing NFL expertise onto their coaching staff. Smith takes over for Ohio State’s former offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, who took the head coaching job for the University of South Florida in December.?
For Sayin, who becomes eligible for the NFL Draft after this college season, he welcomes the expertise Smith brings and knows how beneficial it will be having him as a resource during his time in college.?
“We want to go to the next level,” Sayin said. “So it’s really cool to have him in our corner.”
