One of the best wide receivers in college football is no longer a wide receivers coach, at least not strictly.
Ryan Day is promoting Brian Hartline to Ohio State's offensive coordinator, sources told FootballScoop on Friday. The news was first reported by Austin Ward of Dotting the Eyes. The move fills the void created when Kevin Wilson took the head coaching job at Tulsa. It also could be a large jump in responsibility for the 36-year-old Hartline and not just a fancy title. Ahead of last month's Peach Bowl, Day told ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit that he planned to hand over play-calling duties in 2023.
"Ryan Day mentioned in our production meetings that he's going to stop calling plays next year, because he needs to become more of a manager as a head coach, and when you're prepping a game plan there's a lot more that goes into it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday to be ready to call those plays on Saturday," Herbstreit said on the air.
"So he's been thinking about relinquishing those [duties], which would be the first time ever."
A former Ohio State wide receiver himself, Hartline played seven seasons in the NFL before joining his alma mater's staff as a quality control assistant. He was promoted to the full-time staff following the Zach Smith firing days before the 2018 season. In his five seasons on the job, Hartline has, to use a technical term, killed it.
Five separate Buckeyes have posted 1,000-yard seasons since 2018 and five have been drafted, two of them in the first round. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is likely to become a third first-round pick this spring.
Below is a list of wideouts Hartline has signed or secured commitments from since joining the full-time staff.
2019
Garrett Wilson, 5-star (Austin, Texas)
Jameson Williams, top-100 4-star (St. Louis)
2020
Julian Fleming, No. 3 overall player (Catawissa, Pa.)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, 5-star (Rockwall, Texas)
Gee Scott, Jr., top-100 4-star (Sammamish, Wash.)
Mookie Cooper, top-100 4-star (Maryland Heights, Mo.)
2021
Emeka Egbuka, 5-star (Steliacoom, Wash.)
Marvin Harrison, Jr., top-100 4-star (Philadelphia)
Jayden Ballard, top-100 4-star (Massillon, Ohio)
2022
Kaleb Brown, top-100 4-star (Chicago)
Kyion Graves, top-100 4-star (Chandler, Ariz.)
Caleb Burton, top-250 4-star (Austin, Texas)
Koko Antwi, top-250 4-star (Suwanee, Ga.)
2023
Brandon Inniss, 5-star (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Noah Rogers, top-100 4-star (Rolesville, N.C.)
Carnell Tate, top-100 4-star (IMG Academy)
Bryson Rodgers, 4-star (Zephyrhills, Fla.)
2024
Jeremiah Smith, No. 2 overall player (Hollywood, Fla.)
Simply put, there isn't a better position group in college football than the Ohio State receiver room. Others may equal the Buckeyes' prep-to-pros production, but none have surpassed it.
Now, the 2021 FootballScoop Wide Receivers Coach of the Year has the opportunity to show he's just as good a coordinator as he is a position coach.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
Update: Day has announced the move, along with adjustments to the staff following Wilson's departure.
Special assistant to the head coach Keenan Bailey has been promoted to tight ends coach, and offensive line coach Justin Frye to run game coordinator.
“Brian has been successful in every football capacity for which he has been engaged,” Day said. “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.”