Ohio State football: Brian Hartline is going to be confident coordinator

Brian Hartline is a confident man. His ability to recognize, recruit, and develop tremendous receiving talent has become the catalyst for his recent success in the world of coaching. So much so, that when other schools came knocking on his door, Ryan Day and Gene Smith felt he deserved another bump in pay and the title of Offensive Coordinator in order to keep him happy and with the Ohio State football program. Now we will find out if Hartline’s success in the receiving room can translate into success for the entire offensive unit.

On Tuesday, Hartline sat down and spoke with the media, and despite being asked a couple of difficult questions about his unfortunate ATV accident, he smiled, remained confident, and spun it into a positive.

“There’s nothing I can really say. All I would say is that in hindsight, I probably would’ve rather went to bed than rode in a side-by-side,” Hartline explained. He went on to say, “Everything provides a learning opportunity, and I would say it was a learning opportunity. I’m not going to talk about that situation anymore.”

And with that, none of the other media members pushed him for a further explanation. If there was a masterclass given on how to diffuse a possible volatile situation, Hartline must have aced it, because it was obvious that no one was going to be able to crack that smile and positive demeanor. Hartline is in control. He is cool. He is confident.

As he moves into his new role as Offensive Coordinator, that confidence can only help him in his new role. Why second guess that play call? Why second guess your decision on personnel at a given time during the game? Confident people don’t second guess themselves. They don’t panic. They believe in themselves, their God-given ability, and trust in the outcome. That’s why Hartline is going to be a great play caller.

While Ryan Day seems to be more of a serious man, especially when it comes to how he approaches the game from an X’s and O’s standpoint, Hartline comes at it from confidence through experience approach. Yes, it’s true that Hartline does not have experience as a play caller yet, but what he does have is a significant time in the NFL, which has no doubt aided in his confidence.

While neither Day nor Hartline has made it public exactly how the playcalling will go this fall, it has become apparent that both men are going to be working very closely this season. Whether it is Hartline given the first shot, or it will be Day doing most of the play calling and then turning over the reigns a little bit at a time throughout the season, one thing is for sure; Hartline is confident he will be great at it. I mean why not? Like he said, “Everything provides a learning opportunity.”

But don’t think for a minute that Hartline’s confidence is cocky. There is a big difference between being confident and being cocky. And when it comes to Ohio State football, his alma mater, there is a new sense of responsibility in his life that wasn’t there as much before.

“I have a great passion for this school and this University,” Hartline admitted. “More responsibility makes more worry. That’s just the reality. If I didn’t care so much about it all, the people it involves, and Buckeye Nation, I probably wouldn’t worry as much. But the reality of it is, I do highly care on a very very high level. It just plays a bigger part.”