Ohio University fired head football coach Brian Smith for cause, the school announced Wednesday. Smith was fired after an administrative review revealed “serious professional misconduct and participating in activities that reflect unfavorably on the University.”
Smith, 45, was just about to complete his first full season on the job. After taking over as the team’s interim head coach last season following the departure of Tim Albin — and leading the Bobcats to a win in the Cure Bowl — Smith was named the team’s full-time head coach for the 2025 season.
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Ohio performed well in Smith’s first season, going 8-4. That earned the team a bowl game against UNLV, which is set to be played Dec. 23.
But Smith will not coach the team in that contest. On Dec. 1, he was placed on indefinite leave by the university. The school did not provide details on why Smith was placed on leave. Defensive coordinator John Hauser was elevated to interim head coach following that decision.
In its statement Wednesday, Ohio University did not provide specifics on what led to Smith’s firing. The school said its search for a new head coach “will begin immediately.”
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Prior to coaching at Ohio University, Smith held a number of assistant and coordinator jobs across college football. He had three separate stints at Hawaii, and has served as either an offensive coordinator or offensive positions coach at every stop before being elevated into his first head-coaching position with Ohio last season.
