Ohio University won nine of its 13 college football games with Brian Smith as the head coach. He was fired from his role for cause on Wednesday afternoon.
Nobody knows why.
This is one of the biggest mysteries the biggest mystery in college football right now. It will be very interesting to see how this story proceeds to unfold in the coming days, weeks and months. Is the university going to release its findings? Will its former coach fight back against them in court?
Brian Smith suddenly disappeared.
This unusual saga started on the first of December. Ohio athletic director Slade Larscheid reportedly walked into a regularly-scheduled coaches meeting and asked them all to leave the room.
Nobody has heard from or seen Brian Smith since.
The university placed the head football coach “on leave for an undetermined period of time beginning December 1.” It did not provide any further information as to why.
In fact, Smith’s attorney said his client was among the group of coaches who were asked to leave in the middle of the day. He also did not know why he was suddenly placed on leave, it just happened. No explanation. Nothing.
UPDATE: Smith’s attorney still has not received information on why his client was fired. He released a statement to deny any wrongdoing.
“We vigorously dispute Ohio University’s grounds for the termination for cause of Coach Brian Smith. He is shocked and dismayed by this turn of events, and we plan to fight him for this wrongful termination to protect his good name. Coach Smith is an ethical man who has done an exemplary job for the University. He wants nothing but the best for the players, coaches, and the entire Bobcat community.”
Although the university did not provide a formal list of the allegations or charges made against the coach, Smith’s attorney declined any wrongdoing on his behalf. An investigation found otherwise.
Ohio fired its college football coach.
Brian Smith was hired at Ohio University as the Passing Game Coordinator and running backs coach in 2022. He was granted the title of associate head coach in 2023. He was named as the offensive coordinator in 2024 and later elevated to head coach after Tim Albin left for Charlotte before the bowl game. The Bobcats went 8-4 during the 2025 regular season.
And then they put their head coach on leave.
Ohio has been preparing for the Frisco Bowl with John Hauser as the interim. The Bobcats continue to practice as per usual but the mystery surrounding Smith continues to loom large over the program.
He was fired on Wednesday for cause after an administrative review of allegations. Smith “violated the terms of his employment agreement by engaging in serious professional misconduct and participating in activities that reflect unfavorably on the University.”
The statement did not include any details. We still don’t know what happened.
However, Brian Smith’s contract at Ohio allows him to be fired with cause for the following:
- Failure to perform the duties of the position
- Serious professional or personal misconduct
- Insubordination
- Prolonged absence from the University
- Committing a Level I or Level II NCAA violation or a pattern of NCAA Level III violations by you or the football program, or knowingly permitting said violations by subordinates
- An intentional major violation of MAC rules by you or the football program, or knowingly permitting said violations by subordinates
- Committing an intentional or egregious violation of a University policy or procedure, or knowingly permitting such violation by subordinates
It is unclear as two which violation or violations triggered the ouster. Time will tell.