Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline has been the subject of rumors linking him to the Penn State Nittany Lions and UCLA Bruins this season. The Nittany Lions rumor is more prevalent, though, given the geographical proximity to Ohio.
As the architect of making OSU the modern-day WRU, Hartline is being coveted for his recruiting chops and development. There's nowhere he lacks as a coach. No weaknesses to exploit for opposing coaches in their negative recruiting. Besides previous experience.
College Football HQ's James Parks believes the rumors of a jump to Penn State have no merit, though. Parks predicted Hartline's loyalty, keeping him in Columbus for the time being, though he did acknowledge he may not wait for Ryan Day to move on since it may take a while.
"Is this a real possibility? It would be very, very surprising if it were, to say the least," Parks wrote.
"Hartline is clearly very deeply rooted at his alma mater, where he has built a strong reputation and talent pipeline as an elite recruiter and positional coach."
"Leaving a very stable, upward-trending role inside a major program for a rival would be a major career leap, but one that feels too risky given his lack of prior head coaching experience."
"Penn State is far more likely to target a proven program leader rather than a first-time head coach yet to turn 40 who is still in the very early stages of his ascent."
Brian Hartline could become highest paid offensive coordinator
If Hartline really wants the chance to build his own coaching staff, there's probably nothing Ohio State could do to stop him. If not, though, there is historic money awaiting him as potentially the highest-paid offensive coordinator in college football.
Given OSU's investment in Day, through a massive extension and yearly rev share spend, there's no reason for the school not to pay whatever it takes, within reason, to maintain his coaching staff. Hartline has long been the talent guy on the offensive end, where Day's reputation is staked.
The Buckeyes can make life a lot harder by not showing Hartline the money and risking him becoming a highly compensated OC somewhere else. There's no need for that. Ross Bjork almost certainly understands that and should act accordingly.