Ohio State · Big TenRyan Day reviews Ohio State staff as Wilkes remains in eight-school race
The Buckeyes are 6-3 with no offensive lineman in their five-player 2028 class, and Wilkes has not visited Columbus for a game.
NOV 10, 2026
Ohio State’s 2026 record
Ohio State’s 2025 record
Schools remaining in Wilkes’s recruitment
01 · The NewsDay Reviews Staff as Wilkes Race Narrows
Ohio State’s entire coaching staff is under review after former running back Daniel Herron called for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s firing, as the 6-3 Buckeyes remain among eight finalists for 2028 offensive tackle Wilkes.
Former running back Daniel Herron made the demand in a post Monday on X: “Coach Day We Want Arthur Smith Gone By Noon Today!!!” Former star Quincy Avery also criticized Smith in a separate social-media post.
Wilkes has narrowed his recruitment to Ohio State, Michigan, Missouri, Washington, Kentucky, Texas A&M, LSU and Nebraska. He has received more than 40 scholarship offers and is listed at 6-foot-7 and 280 pounds.
Ohio State’s 2028 class ranks first in the 247Sports class rankings with five verbal commitments, but none plays offensive line. Wilkes would address that open spot. The Buckeyes have not brought him to Columbus for a game, while he has visited Michigan and Nebraska.
Ohio State has not said whether Wilkes will visit for a game or when he will choose. The Buckeyes are trying to keep a top tackle in a recruitment that includes Michigan, a program Wilkes has already visited, along with six other finalists.
Day has not said whether Smith or another staff member will leave. Avery separated his view of the head coach from his view of the coordinator: “I still think Ryan Day is a good coach however Arthur Smith is TRASH!!!”
02 · The StakesWhy It Matters
Day did not identify Smith or any other staff member for removal. The review puts Ohio State’s offensive direction alongside a major recruiting need after the Buckeyes fell from 12-2 in 2025 to 6-3 in 2026. Josh Pate’s preseason bracket had Ohio State as the No. 2 playoff team, making the season and the staff review a direct test of that projection.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
Ohio State’s problem: two clocks are moving together. Day is evaluating the staff after a fall from 12-2 to 6-3 while the program recruits the first offensive lineman in a five-commit class. Wilkes has made multiple trips to Michigan, his home-state finalist, while Ohio State has yet to get him to a Columbus game.
That makes the next recruiting step revealing than the eight-school cut. A game visit would show that staff uncertainty has not stalled the relationship; continued trips elsewhere would preserve Michigan’s head start during the staff review.
04 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
Will Ryan Day keep Arthur Smith?
Day has not identified any coach for removal, so the first tell is an announcement naming Smith or confirming the staff’s return. That decision sets the offensive direction after the decline from 12-2 to 6-3 and gives Wilkes a clearer picture of the staff recruiting him before Ohio State secures a game visit.
05 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Does Ohio State add Wilkes to its game-day visit list?
The Buckeyes have not brought him to Columbus for a game, while he has visited Michigan and Nebraska.
Does the offensive staff change?
Day has not said whether Smith or another staff member will leave.