What makes Arthur Smith’s Ohio State offense different? Here’s what we’re hearing

Ohio State cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. said three things that made my ears perk up Thursday.

First, he confirmed that he’s been playing outside corner for much of the summer. The third-year corner has bounced between nickel and outside much of his career, but with five-star freshman Jay Timmons at nickel, it seems like Mathews has a home outside.

The second and third things came from him giving feedback on the receivers. He’s not new to defending elite talent at Ohio State practices, but his eyes lit up when talking about this freshman group. He described five-star recruit Chris Henry as a physical specimen, who at 6-foot-5 towers over most people on the roster.

Then he went on to talk about three-star recruit Brock Boyd and said, “S—, he’s different. It’s something about Brock — he’s different.”

For as much conversation as there has been about star junior Jeremiah Smith, from talking with players and coaches this summer, it sounds more and more like the group around Smith is going to be better than expected. And this freshman class could be the next group of Ohio State stars in a new-look offense under Arthur Smith.

Preseason camp will wrap up on Monday, with game week for the Sept. 5 opener against Ball State nearing. Before then, here are a few other things we are hearing before the team leaves its hotel on Saturday:

What is Arthur Smith’s ‘structured’ offensive plan?

Ohio State has kept the specifics of its offensive changes in-house, for the most part, but we’ve gotten bits and pieces that we can connect.

The first and most important thing to understand is that Ohio State’s offense isn’t going to undergo a wholesale change with Brian Hartline gone. Coach Ryan Day has been adamant most of his career that Ohio State will remain Ohio State no matter who is calling plays. But it does seem like Day is giving Smith, an experienced NFL head coach and play caller, autonomy to merge their approaches.

We’ve known for some time that Ohio State is going to have some under-center tendencies. Last year, the Buckeyes were under center on 16.8 percent of their snaps, per TruMedia, which was 12th-highest rate in the country. Of the 148 plays, 24 were passes, which resulted in 162 yards and six touchdowns for Julian Sayin. I’d expect Ohio State to be less predictable under center this year and play into Sayin’s arm talent, whether with traditional dropbacks or play-action.

That’s not to say Ohio State won’t line up in shotgun often, but there’s going to be a lot of personnel variety with this offense for Smith, who in his two years with the Steelers finished ninth in under-center percentage and 10th in under-center dropback calls.

“We can get to anything — pistol, shotgun, under center,” Smith said. “We’ll let the opponents find that stuff out.”

Running back Isaiah West said the offense feels like it has a “structured” plan to it.

“I think there’s plays off plays off plays,” tight end Bennett Christian said. “We’ll set you up one way and then come back. It might look the same, but it’s a different play. I was talking to (linebacker Payton Pierce) about what he sees in the middle. He was like, ‘I don’t know how defenses are going to stop this.’”

The tight ends will be a big help for Smith, who has a background in coaching tight ends. While that group isn’t as top heavy as it was with Max Klare and Will Kacmarek a year ago, it’s still a deep position group and one Ohio State thinks is versatile enough to move players around in the slot, on the line and with pre-snap motion.

“In the last couple years, we’ve been very impactful in the offense,” tight end Nate Roberts said. “With coach Smith coming in, it’s just like stepping it up a notch both in the pass game and the run game.”

Wide receivers have spoken highly of the scheme changes too. Brandon Inniss said fans will notice the different ways Ohio State is getting its receivers the ball in space.

Though Ohio State has always had elite talent at receiver, its creativity took a dip last year. This season, Inniss said, while the emphasis is on the receiver to fight through contact and get up field, the coaching staff has emphasized scheming ways to get the receivers more yards after catch.

“It’s getting the ball out in space, getting it quickly in our hands in between zones, catching and knifing, things like that to try and get the ball in our hands as fast as possible to make plays,” Inniss said.

How many defensive linemen will play?

Every defensive line wants enough depth to rotate, but I firmly believe it will happen with Ohio State this season.

Let’s start with my projected starters: Kenyatta Jackson and Beau Atkinson on the edge with Eddrick Houston and Will Smith at tackle when camp was open.

All reviews of Jackson are that he’s poised for a massive year that could see him vault up NFL Draft boards. Houston is finally healthy and playing with confidence, Smith has taken the next step in his development in his fourth season and Atkinson is trying to become more consistent.

Atkinson, who led North Carolina in sacks in 2024 but had just 11 tackles for Ohio State last year, met with reporters Wednesday and said he feels the most explosive and confident he’s been since arriving in Columbus.

Those comments align with what coaches have said. Over the years, defensive line coach Larry Johnson has been open about the time it takes defensive linemen to adjust to the demands Ohio State has of them, especially out of high school.

It’s also true for transfers, as Atkinson spent last year getting caught up to technique and how Ohio State plays. The hope is that now he can make that jump to be a consistently impactful edge rusher.

Beyond those four, who else has a chance to play? The list is long.

• Freshman defensive end Khary Wilder is making a big impression. Wilder was the No. 3 defensive line prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite. With the new five-year eligibility rule, it’s less a question about if Wilder will play this year and instead a question of how much.

“He plays very violent and aggressive,” Atkinson said.

• What about Alabama transfers James Smith and Qua Russaw? Russaw has versatility on the edge, so expect to see a lot of him, if he can get all of his responsibilities down quickly. As for James Smith, he’s been disruptive all camp and should see a lot of time along the interior. The biggest thing for them, much like Atkinson in his first year, is adjusting to what Johnson wants of them. Although Alabama was an elite program, the way Johnson does things can be different.

• UCF transfer John Walker. He’s locked into the two-deep along the interior, as well. His size at 302 pounds mixed with his strength should make him a difference-maker. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him starting before September is over.

• I was talking to a coach after practice on Thursday and he was impressed by Jason Moore throughout camp. The development of Moore and Smith would be massive for Ohio State. I know fans like to see the flashy new players stepping up, but Ohio State is still locked in on recruiting high school players, and seeing Moore and Smith finally become impact players will only help Johnson on the recruiting trail.

• Sophomore end Zion Grady is in the rotation, and one other freshman to watch is Dre Quinn. Quinn’s name has started to surface a bit in the last week or two, and I remember writing his number down a few times during the third open practice. I’m not sure where he fits into the rotation, but I was impressed by Quinn early in camp.

The coaching staff likes how deep the defensive line is. Day is challenging them to find out who is going to be the guy to make a play when Ohio State needs it the most and if they can do it consistently throughout a four-quarter game.

Everybody is raving about Payton Pierce

I have a lot of questions about the linebackers’ rotations and positions.

In the past two weeks, we’ve heard that Christian Alliegro and Riley Pettijohn are spending time on the edge and at mike linebacker. TJ Alford is getting reps everywhere, as well, with Pierce leading the group as the man in the middle.

But as of Aug. 20, there are a few things I feel confident saying about this defense: One of them is that Pierce is going to be the next star Ohio State linebacker.

Watching Pierce last year was enjoyable because he’s so smart, especially for a guy who played just 256 defensive snaps as a sophomore, recording 43 tackles.

He’s impressed Alliegro, the Wisconsin transfer who has played four years of college football.

“He’s one of the smartest guys I’ve been around in terms of man in the middle,” Alliegro said.

Pierce is the leader to have the green dot and communicate the plays from the staff. I don’t think he’ll leave the field often. He’s more athletic than some give him credit for.

The biggest thing is that despite not having major playing time like some of the linebackers who came before him, Pierce has jumped into that vocal leadership role. He wasn’t pleased with Ohio State’s defensive performance in Saturday’s scrimmage and got emotional when addressing the group after it.

“The way he was talking to us, everybody felt it,” Alford said. “He had tears coming out of his eyes like, ‘We can’t let that happen. Everybody has to run to the ball — that wasn’t the standard of the bullets.’”

There are four linebackers who could play in every game this year, and while the snap counts and rotations remain unclear, Pierce’s ascension is clear.