Brian Hartline Leaving Ohio State To Become Next Head Coach At South Florida: What Does It Mean For the Buckeyes?
Brian Hartline was the brilliant offensive coordinator at Ohio State. Today, he was hired to be the head football coach at the University of South Florida. He was not just a smart offensive coordinator for Ohio State; he was an ace recruiter.
Hartline’s departure from Ohio State, on National Signing Day, is already having negative effects on the 2026 Ohio State recruiting class. Now, Hartline is gone, and it is fair to wonder if his success at Ohio State will follow him to the University of South Florida. What do you think?
How Hartline’s Departure Will Impact Ohio State
Hartline left Ohio State to be the head football coach at the University of South Florida. The move, perhaps not unexpected, occurred on National Signing Day. The effects of his departure are already being felt. The departure after the College Football Playoff has been a main cause of the tumult in Ohio State’s wide receiver room, which has been tranquil and a source of strength for the Buckeyes.
It is unclear whether that was the last straw that pushed Legend Bey to flip his commitment from Ohio State to Tennessee, combined with his family’s pressure.
Bey was not the only one who flipped. Four-star Wide Receiver Kaden Dixon Wyatt, from Mater Dei High School, committed to USC instead of Ohio State. Dixon-Wyatt is the high school teammate of a five-star Wide Receiver, Chris Henry. Henry has long been a hard commitment to Ohio State, but as of 6 p.m. on Wednesday, he has not signed a letter of intent with Ohio State.
He may end up at Oregon; he is clearly thinking hard about his commitment. He would be a huge loss for the Buckeyes, as Henry has been compared to all-world Ohio State Wide Receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Hartline’s departure will negatively affect Ohio State football recruiting. However, his departure will not negatively affect Ohio State’s offensive play-calling. Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day relinquished the offensive play-calling to Hartline this season, so Day can call plays. It is also the case that Ohio State’s offensive coordinator from last season, Chip Kelly, was just fired as the offensive coordinator of the Las Vegas Raiders. He could end up back with the Buckeyes.
Wide Receiver University
The accomplishments of Hartline at Ohio State have been impressive. He has turned Ohio State into a wide receiver university. It was not always that way. Consider, for instance, that in his eight years as Ohio State’s wide receivers coach, Hartline recruited and developed at least six NFL first-round draft picks: Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams (after transferring to Alabama), Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Emeka Egbuka. That is simply amazing. Ohio State was not previously known as a wide receiver university.
In April, at the National Football League (NFL) Draft, that number is expected to grow as Carnell Tate is in line to be a first-round pick. Jeremiah Smith is a projected top 5 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. There might be more NFL first-round draft picks on the Ohio State football roster.
Conclusion
It was only a matter of time before Hartline became a head coach. He was blocked at Ohio State by Day. With a bevvy of college football head coaching jobs open, it makes sense that Hartline left. Although landing at South Florida is a little surprising, with jobs open at Penn State, LSU, and Florida, there were plenty of good jobs out there.
