Top 5 former Ohio State Football players who are coaching today
By Eric Boggs
Number Four: Ohio State Offensive Coordinator Brian Hartline
The former Ohio State wide receiver has quickly gained the reputation of being the best wide receiver recruiter and developer in the college game. He has been highly sought after during the off-season and Ryan Day had no choice but to elevate him to offensive coordinator over the off-season in order to give him a bump in pay and keep him in Columbus, Ohio.
Hartline’s playing career included four seasons at Ohio State where he finished with 90 receptions for 1,429 yards and 12 touchdowns. He then went on to the NFL where in seven seasons, six of which were spent with the Miami Dolphins, he finished with 344 catches for 4,766 yards and scored 15 touchdowns.
Following his professional playing career, Hartline moved back to Columbus where he was training and working out with the Ohio State football team helping them prepare for Bowl Games when he was offered a Graduate Assistants position in 2017. Hartline recounts that at the time he wasn’t doing anything else, so he decided to give it a try. He had no plan to enter the coaching ranks, but he did so well that when the Zach Smith scandal broke, he was named as the interim wide receiver’s coach.
Hartline has never relinquished the position after being given the opportunity in 2018 and has springboarded himself within the coaching ranks. There are many within the Ohio State fanbase who believe that Hartline is being groomed as the next Ohio State football head coach by Ryan Day. This might in fact be true, but I do not know if Hartline would be or should be the first man offered the position if it were to come open after the 2023 season.
Let me be clear, I am rooting for Ryan Day to get the Xichigan monkey off of his back and regain dominance within the Big 10 conference. I personally believe that if Hartline wants to continue his coaching career beyond Ohio State, he will do so in the NFL.
He has stated on numerous occasions that he grew up a fan of the NFL and that he runs his wide receiver’s room just like an NFL room. Hartline has a young family that is established in central, Ohio, so I am sure that that also is taken into account when making these life-altering decisions. Let’s hope Day continues to succeed and that Hartline continues to grow within his new position as offensive coordinator for several more seasons.