It was less than five years before Brian Hartline progressed from a quality control coach to an offensive coordinator at Ohio State.
A year after being promoted to passing play coordinator, Hartline was again promoted 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 excelled in every football role that he has been hired to do,” Day said in a press release. “He progressed incredibly well from college to NFL receiver and then from quality control coach to wide receivers coach to passing game coordinator. He’s finding things out quickly and is more than ready to make the move to offense coordinator now.
“Brian also developed his receivers to an unprecedented level and he recruited as well or better than anyone in the country. Now he’s going to be recruiting for our entire offense and I think that’s something that’s going to be really positive for our program.”
The promotion comes after Wilson left Ohio State to become the new head coach at Tulsa, inaugurating the title of offensive coordinator that Wilson has held at Ohio State for the past six years.
It’s the latest step up the coaching ladder for Hartline, who began his coaching career in 2017 at Ohio State as a quality control coach. He became Ohio State’s interim wide receivers coach in 2018 and full-time wide receivers coach in 2019. Last January, he was promoted to passing game coordinator after former Ohio State teammate Marcus Freeman sought to hire Hartline for his staff at Notre Dame. His most recent promotion comes after he applied 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 very excited for this opportunity,” Hartline said. “Ohio State has set a world-class threshold in terms of offensive performance, and that’s something we will strive to achieve every day. I want to thank Coach Day for believing in me and for the positions he has given me over the past few years that have allowed me to thrive and grow.”
Several Ohio State recipients, including Marvin Harrison Jr. and Carnell Tate, signaled their approval of Hartline’s promotion on Twitter.
— Marvin Harrison Jr (@MarvHarrisonJr) January 13, 2023
https://t.co/MRRpRL2gde
— Carnell Tate (@carnelltate_) January 13, 2023
Ohio State’s announcement does not specify whether Day will delegate play-calling responsibilities to Hartline, although Day told ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit ahead of the Peach Bowl that he was considering relinquishing play-calling duties.
With Hartline’s promotion, Ohio State’s offensive coaching staff is now on hold for the 2023 season barring 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 team 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 stay with the Buckeyes. Frye was promoted to game coordinator, a title Alford held last season, while Alford still holds the title of assistant offense head coach.