Before Arthur Smith was hired as the Ohio State Buckeyes' offensive coordinator in late January, Ryan Day, Mark Pantoni, and the OSU NIL/rev-share machine solved a major problem for his offensive system in the transfer portal.
As Cleveland.com's Stephen Means writes, the acquisitions of LSU Tigers transfer receiver Kyle Parker and UTSA Roadrunners receiver Devin McCuin give Ohio State two players who do well moving the ball after catches.
"Wide receiver talent is overflowing in Columbus, but it’s fair to say that last year’s room lacked diversity. It was filled with guys capable of catching the ball regardless of the circumstances, but it didn’t have anyone who routinely did something with it after that. Adding LSU’s Kyle Parker (5.5 yards after the catch) and UTSA’s Devin McCuin (5.6) should help solve that," Means wrote.
Smith's offensive schemes are run-focused before lulling the defense to sleep and hitting receivers on inline routes, maximizing their downhill speed with an open field ahead of them. Parker and McCuin give the team decoys for deep balls to Jeremiah Smith, Chris Henry Jr., and whoever else emerges on the outside.
There's no question about it. The Buckeyes have handed Arthur Smith the keys to a Rolls-Royce in 2026.
Ohio State's offense may have a little bit of everything in 2026
Too often in 2026, Ohio State's offense was boring. It felt far too often like a spectacular Carnell Tate or Jeremiah Smith reception bailed out what was otherwise a lifeless drive. Of course, those two ate enough that the memory of the team, compared to most miserable offenses at the bottom of the Big Ten, is that of an explosive unit. Their red zone conversion rate was No. 6 in the B1G, though. That's not good enough in Columbus.
Luckily, Smith has a strong history of getting past the pylons. In 2019 and 2020, Smith's Tennessee Titans offense ranked No. 1 in the NFL in red zone efficiency, scoring touchdowns on 75.6% of trips that reached the opponent's 20-yard line. He has already promised that No. 4 will be his new Derrick Henry.
There's a plan, and if there's execution of that plan, one of the most difficult schedules in the league won't look like it this fall for the Scarlet and Gray.