Brian Hartline, Tony Alford net raises at Ohio State
Very, very few coaches are actually underpaid on the real world scale, but on the college football scale, Brian Hartline was arguably the most underpaid in the sport.
Ohio State's wide receivers room was the very best in college football in 2021. Not just the best receiver room, but the best position room.
Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave will likely be first-round picks later this month, and the most productive player of the group, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, is not yet draft eligible. When Wilson (1,058 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Olave (936 yards, 13 touchdowns) opted out of the Rose Bowl, Smith-Njigba set a bowl game record with 15 grabs for 347 yards and three touchdowns, underclassmen Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming, and Marvin Harrison, Jr., combined for 14 receptions for 152 yards and three touchdowns.
In 2022, Ohio State will roster seven receivers who ranked among the national top 100 players as recruits, and that's after losing two first-round picks to the draft, plus a third future first-round pick (Jameson Williams) to transfer.
Ohio State is churning out elite wide receivers, and as a result Hartline will no longer be underpaid.
Following a promotion to passing game coordinator, Hartline signed a 2-year deal that will pay him $950,000 per year.
Assistant head coach and run game coordinator Tony Alford signed a 2-year extension worth $750,000 per year.
Not to be overshadowed by Ohio State's wide receivers, the Buckeyes' running backs are also a best-in-class position. Six Buckeyes have cracked the 1,000-yard mark in Alford's seven seasons, with the 8-game 2020 season the only exception. Freshman TreVeyon Henderson ranked fourth in the Big Ten in rushing yards (1,255) and third in rushing touchdowns (15) last season.
With the moves, Ohio State's offensive staff will be well compensated in dollars and titles.
Under an offensive-minded head coach in Ryan Day, the Buckeyes have offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson ($1.4 million in 2021), passing game coordinator Hartline, run game coordinator Alford, assistant head coach for offense Justin Frye ($800,000) and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis, whose $100,000 raise takes him to $400,000 per year. He and Wilson signed 2-year deals, while associate head coach/defensive line coach Larry Johnson got a 1-year extension.
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