It took less than five years for Brian Hartline to go from a quality control coach to an offensive coordinator at Ohio State.
One year after he was promoted to passing game coordinator, Hartline has been promoted again to offensive coordinator, taking Kevin Wilson’s place as Ohio State’s top offensive assistant, sources confirmed to Eleven Warriors.
Ryan Day and Ohio State officially announced Hartline’s promotion Friday afternoon.
“Brian has been successful in every football capacity for which he has been engaged,” Day said in a news release. “He has progressed incredibly well from college to NFL receiver, and then from quality control coach to wide receivers coach to passing game coordinator. He figures things out quickly and he is more than ready to now transition to offensive coordinator.
“Brian has also developed his receivers at an unprecedented level and he has recruited as well or better than anyone in the country. Now he’ll be recruiting for our entire offense and I think that is something that will be really positive for our program.”
THE best in the nation and now our offensive coordinator #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/wkVrchNCj2
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 13, 2023
The promotion comes after Wilson left Ohio State to become the new head coach at Tulsa, opening up the offensive coordinator title that Wilson has held at Ohio State for the past six years.
It’s the latest step up the coaching ladder for Hartline, who started his coaching career at Ohio State in 2017 as a quality control coach. He became Ohio State’s interim wide receivers coach in 2018, then became the full-time wide receivers coach in 2019. He was promoted to passing game coordinator last January after his former Ohio State teammate Marcus Freeman made an effort to hire Hartline to his staff at Notre Dame. His latest promotion comes after he interviewed for the head coaching job at Cincinnati but ultimately chose to stay with the Buckeyes.
Hartline will continue to coach Ohio State’s wide receivers in his new role.
“I am ready and I am really looking forward to this opportunity,” Hartline said. “Ohio State has established a premier threshold with regard to offensive output and that is something that we’ll strive to meet every day. I want to thank coach Day for his belief in me and for the positions he has put me in these last several years that have allowed me to succeed and grow.”
Several Ohio State wide receivers, including Carnell Tate, signaled their approval of Hartline’s promotion on Twitter.
— Carnell Tate (@carnelltate_) January 13, 2023
Ohio State’s announcement does not specify whether Day will delegate play-calling responsibilities to Hartline, though Day told ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit before the Peach Bowl that he was considering giving up play-calling duties.
With Hartline’s promotion, Ohio State’s offensive coaching staff is now set for the 2023 season, barring any unexpected departures or an increase in the number of countable coaches college football teams are allowed to employ.
Keenan Bailey was promoted from the support staff to replace Wilson as tight ends coach while quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis, running backs coach Tony Alford and offensive line coach Justin Frye are all expected to remain with the Buckeyes. Frye has been promoted to run game coordinator, a title held by Alford last season, while Alford still holds the title of assistant head coach for offense.
