What to know about Ohio State's Brian Hartline, a potential Penn State coach candidate
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For the better part of the past three weeks, Penn State football has been without a full-time head coach after the Nittany Lions stunned much of the college football world by firing James Franklin on Oct. 12, one day after a 22-21 loss to Northwestern that dropped them to 3-3 on the season.
With that decision, one of the most coveted and highest-paying jobs in college football opened.
In the days and weeks since Franklin’s dismissal, a slew of names have been connected to the vacancy. Some, like Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, have signed contract extensions with their current employers. Others, like Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, ostensibly remain in play.
Based on some of the wish lists that have circulated across the internet during that time, Penn State’s next coach could very well be staring at it from an opposing sideline this weekend.
Among the dozens of candidates who have been floated for the Nittany Lions’ job has been Brian Hartline, Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. Over the past several years, Hartline has become one of the most heralded assistant coaches in the sport, someone whose future as a head coach is viewed as more of an inevitability than an idea.
Now, he’s being connected to not just any opening, but the one at one of college football’s historic powers.
As Hartline and the No. 1 Buckeyes prepare for their game on Saturday, Nov. 1 against Penn State at Ohio Stadium, here’s a closer look at Hartline:
Brian Hartline at Ohio State
Hartline has been a full-time staff member at Ohio State since 2018, when he started off as an interim wide receivers coach after the firing of Zach Smith.
He assumed the position on a full-time basis the following season, coinciding with Ryan Day’s first season as the Buckeyes’ full-time head coach.
Though he’s been coaching wide receivers since, Hartline has worn a variety of other hats for Ohio State. He was the team’s passing game coordinator in 2022. The next year, he was elevated to offensive coordinator before sharing that job title with Chip Kelly for the Buckeyes’ national championship team in 2024. When Kelly left to become the offensive coordinator of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, Hartline once again became the program’s sole offensive coordinator.
Hartline has been an integral figure in helping Ohio State become a factory for All-American wideouts and future NFL stars. The list of players he has coached is as lengthy as it is impressive, a group that includes, among others, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Emeka Egbuka and, most recently, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.
The North Canton, Ohio, native’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2022, On3 Sports named Hartline the outlet’s wide receivers coach of the year. The previous season, he earned the same distinction from FootballScoop. In 2019, he was selected by the American Football Coaches Association as one of its “35 Under 35” honorees.
He’s been helpful for the Buckeyes on the recruiting trail, as well. In three of the past six full recruiting cycles, he has cracked the top 10 of 247Sports’ recruiter rankings, even earning the No. 1 spot in 2020.
Since branching out beyond just coaching wide receivers, Hartline has made a mark. Though Ohio State struggled (relatively speaking) in his first season as offensive coordinator in 2023, finishing 45th in the FBS in scoring offense at 30.5 points per game, the Buckeyes rebounded the following year with the Kelly-Hartline coaching tandem and a retooled roster. Ohio State averaged 35.7 points per game, ranking it in a tie for 12th among FBS teams, on its way to a national title. This year, and with a first-time starting quarterback in Julian Sayin, the Buckeyes are averaging 36.7 points per game.
Hartline’s connections to Ohio State go well beyond his coaching career. He played wide receiver at the school from 2005-08 and was part of four Big Ten championship teams, two of which made it to the BCS national championship game. Over his four seasons in Columbus, he caught 90 passes for 1,429 yards and 12 touchdowns.
After college, he played seven seasons in the NFL (six with the Miami Dolphins, one with the Cleveland Browns). He finished his NFL career with 344 catches for 4,766 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Brian Hartline coaching career
Here’s a step-by-step look at Hartline’s coaching career:
- 2025: Offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, Ohio State
- 2024: Co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, Ohio State
- 2023: Offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, Ohio State
- 2022: Passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach, Ohio State
- 2019-21: Wide receivers coach, Ohio State
- 2018: Interim wide receivers coach, Ohio State
- 2017: Quality control coach, Ohio State
Brian Hartline age
Hartline is 38 years old and will turn 39 on Nov. 22.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What to know about Brian Hartline, a Penn State coaching candidate
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