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Ryan Day's Ohio State football program is loaded on the field in 2026. It's also loaded on the sideline, with two former NFL head coaches running the offense and the defense. At his press conference ahead of the season-opener against Ball State, Day talked about how it feels to have Matt Patricia and Arthur Smith calling the plays. “It gives me energy. Yeah, it gives me energy. Everybody, the coaching staff, everybody's working,” Day said. “It looks the way it should on the field. The scheme's been solid. I think that we have the right stuff.” Day also recognized that this is a unique situation that doesn't happen at a lot of schools, so he took time to thank all the people in Columbus who support the Ohio State football program and make hiring two former NFL head coaches possible. “It's been great to have them around. And, again, every time I have an opportunity to thank, you know, our administration, you know, our board, our president, our cabinet, for the opportunity to hire those guys because I don't take that for granted. And these guys are great,” Day concluded. Both Patricia and Smith have checkered histories as NFL head coaches. Patricia went 13-29-1 in just shy of three seasons with the Detroit Lions, and Smith went 21-30 in three full seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. However, as assistants, these two coaches excel. Smit exceled as Mike Vrabel's right-hand man in Tennessee, while Patricia won two Super Bowls with Bill Belichick in New England. At Ohio State under Ryan Day, these two coaches are doing what they do best, and with all the talent they have to work with, it should be a strong season for the Buckeyes.