Ohio State has promoted Brian Hartline to Offensive Coordinator. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline is elevating to offensive coordinator, Ohio State announced Friday.
Less than two weeks after former offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson departed the program to become the head coach at Tulsa, head coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes tabbed Hartline, who’s been a full-time staff member since 2018, as the next in line.
“I am ready and I am really looking forward to this opportunity,” Hartline said in a statement. “Ohio State has established a premier threshold with regard to offensive output and that is something that we’ll strive to meet every day.”
Hartline received more responsibility planning Ohio State’s offense prior to last season and was promoted to passing game coordinator. The Buckeyes finished with an average of 298.3 passing yards per game in 2022, and third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud rated as the Football Bowl Subdivision’s most-efficient passer, according to the NCAA.
Hartline was named Ohio State’s wide receivers coach before the 2019 season after serving the previous year as the interim. His first coaching assignment at Ohio State came as a quality control coach with the wide receivers in 2017.
Hartline has achieved a decorated resume with the wideouts. Since 2017, Ohio State has had seven wide receivers selected in the NFL Draft.
Former wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave were selected as the No. 10 and 11 overall picks in the NFL Draft in 2022, and Jameson Williams, who transferred to Alabama after the 2021 season, was chosen No. 12 overall.
A former Buckeye wideout himself who played from 2005-08 and caught 1,429 yards alongside 12 touchdowns, Hartline recently recruited four wide receivers as part of the class of 2023. Brandon Inniss and Carnell Tate rate as five-star recruits, according to Rivals, and are two of the five wideouts who joined Ohio State as five stars the past four cycles.
“Brian has been successful in every football capacity for which he has been engaged,” Day said in the statement. “He figures things out quickly and he is more than ready to now transition to offensive coordinator.”
