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Ohio State Buckeyes Promote Elite Wide Receivers Coach Brian Hartline to Co-Offensive Coordinator for 2024 Season

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics
By Andrew Kusleika | Last updated 1/19/24

The Ohio State Buckeyes promoted one of the best assistant coaches on their team, wide receivers coach Brian Hartline, to co-offensive coordinator.

Hartline will be working with newly hired offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. O’Brien’s hiring became evident on Thursday, and Hartline’s promotion did the same Friday. O’Brien was officially announced as the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Friday.

This all comes from an effort to revamp the Ohio State Buckeyes offense. After a third straight loss to their biggest rival, the Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day said he wanted to change how the offense ran.

In an article from Sports Illustrated, ESPN analyst and former Ohio State Buckeye Kirk Herbstreit mentioned Day’s thought process behind the offensive shift.

“Ryan Day mentioned in our production (for the Peach Bowl loss to Georgia) he’s going to stop calling plays next year because he needs to become more of a manager as a head coach,” Herbstreit said during College GameDay.

“When you’re prepping the game plan, there’s a lot more that goes into it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday to be able to call those plays on Saturday, so he’s thinking about relinquishing those (duties), which would be the first time ever.”

Part of that change involved hiring an experienced offensive coordinator that allowed Day to give up play-calling duties. O’Brien was that hire, and Hartline’s promotion seems to further cement a change in the way the Buckeyes do things on offense.

New Ohio State Buckeyes co-offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is gaining valuable experience; this could be a move for the future

New Ohio State Buckeyes co-offensive coordinator Brian Hartline does not have experience in this type of role. Hartline played in the NFL from 2009-2015, and has only been coaching since 2017.

All of Brian Hartline’s coaching experience came as a part of the Ohio State Buckeyes staff. He started out as an offensive quality control assistant. He then became the wide receivers coach from 2018-21, before becoming the passing game coordinator on top of his role as the wide receivers coach.

While many fans thought he might be a good hire for the sole offensive coordinator position due to his massive success as a wide receivers coach, his lack of experience stood in the way.

One positive about making Hartline Co-OC is that he gets to learn and mold under Bill O’Brien. He was never ready to call plays and coordinate the O. This is a fantastic situation for his career.

— Buckeye Intel (@BuckeyeIntel) January 19, 2024

Wisest move OSU could have made. Keep Hartline firmly in line. https://t.co/EvYLJTgDoJ

— Mikey “Beardown” Cuz (@BeardownCuz) January 19, 2024

The Ohio State Buckeyes found it necessary to retain Hartline, so moving him up within the program became the best option. The alternative might have been Hartline finding work as an offensive coordinator elsewhere.

New Ohio State Buckeyes co-offensive coordinator Brian Hartline consistently produces some of the best wide receiver rooms in the country

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receivers coach Brian Hartline has had a major hand in producing some of the best wide receiver rooms in the country since becoming the wide receivers coach in 2018.

Hartline produced a long line of NFL talent at the wide receiver position, and the best of his work may have come during the 2023 season. Wide receiver Marvin Harrison jr. was a Heisman finalist and will likely be a top-three pick in the 2024 NFL draft, according to NFL Draft Buzz.

He’s been elous in 2023.

Marvin Harrison Jr. scored 1⃣5⃣ TDs on his way to being named a @HeismanTrophy finalist.

Relive each of the @OhioStateFB superstar’s scores. #TouchdownTuesday x @MarvHarrisonJr pic.twitter.com/nBaB8jCEBU

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) December 5, 2023

Another star wide receiver that played in 2023 is Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka was projected to be a late first-round pick by NFL Draft Buzz, but he decided to stay in college for one more year.

Other NFL talent produced by Hartline includes New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave.

This list leaves out Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin and New York Giants wide receiver Parris Campbell. Both of which played under Hartline in 2018, which was their last year of college football.

Hartline has proven he knows how to build a wide receiver room, and this promotion will give him a chance to show that he can coach at a higher level.