Ohio State football: 3 replacements for Hartline if he eventually leaves
The Ohio State football team may be in need of a new wide receiver coach. Here are three possible replacements.
The Ohio State football team’s coaching staff could be in a state of flux this off-season. It’s been reported that wide receivers coach Brian Hartline was in line to interview for the head coaching job at the University of Cincinnati. He would be an excellent replacement for Luke Fickell as the Bearcats coach, except he came out and said he was going to stay at Ohio State for now.
While he’s not leaving right now, Hartline will leave eventually. Losing Hartline would be a massive blow for the Buckeyes. Hartline is the staff’s best recruiter and probably their best talent developer as a position coach. Ohio State got really lucky with Hartline already being on staff during the Zach Smith drama and being able to slide right into the job for then-head coach Urban Meyer.
Here are three possible replacements for Brian Hartline.
1. Keenan Bailey, Senior Advisor to the Head Coach at Ohio State
Keen Bailey would seem like the logical choice to replace Hartline. Already working extensively with the receiver unit, Bailey has been on the Buckeye staff since 2016 in numerous roles including coaching intern, quality control coach, and advisor.
Bailey has an understanding of the players and what’s expected of him at the Ohio State football program. Ryan Day seems to really trust him, giving him more responsibility within the offense every season. Smart money would be on Bailey to get the job if Hartline leaves.
2. Kenny Guiton, Wide Receivers coach at Arkansas
The former Ohio State quarterback who famously had a comeback to beat Purdue in 2012 to save the Buckeyes’ perfect season would also be an ideal candidate for Ryan Day. Guiton has been in Arkansas coaching receivers for two seasons now, helping Treylon Burk achieve First-Team All-SEC in 2021.
He also spent time coaching at Louisiana Tech, Houston, and Colorado State before that. Guiton should get a look as he was a great leader while at Ohio State as a backup quarterback and he is moving up the coaching ranks pretty quickly.
3. Keary Colbert, Wide Receivers coach at Florida
If Ohio State wanted to go outside the box with this hire, Colbert might be somebody worth looking at. Colbert is highly regarded as one of the best receiver coaches in the country. Before he coached at Florida this past season; he spent the last few years at USC where he helped develop the likes of Drake London, Michael Pittman Jr, Amon Ra St. Brown, and Robert Davis.
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Before USC, Colbert was an offensive analyst under Nick Saban at Alabama. He certainly would be worth a look for Ryan Day to consider.