Julian Sayin believes that Brian Hartline is ready to run his own program and is excited for him to have the opportunity.
The Buckeyes quarterback said he was appreciative of everything that Hartline has done for him and will be rooting for him in his next step as the new head coach at South Florida. Hartline will remain on the Buckeyes staff for Saturday's Big Ten championship game and throughout their run in the College Football Playoffs.
Julian Sayin on how the team reacted to Brian Hartline taking the head coach position at USF. pic.twitter.com/EhIdPytvdI
— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) December 4, 2025
“He’s helped me a lot just getting better as a quarterback and seeing things in the pass game,” Sayin said during his weekly press conference,
Sayin added that he wasn't surprised that Hartline will stay with the Buckeyes until the end of the season.
"He’s someone who played here and graduated from here, so we wouldn’t expect anything less of him to do that. We’re excited to have him for the rest of the playoff,"
Hartline has the respect of Buckeyes past and present
Hartline's work with wide receivers is well known. The Buckeyes wide receiver room has become an assembly line of NFL first-round picks over the past decade. But as Sayin explains, Hartline's growth as a play caller and his ability to communicate with the quarterbacks is a part of his coaching profile that's undervalued. It's one of the things that former Buckeye quarterback C.J. Stroud mentioned when he spoke about Hartline on Wednesday.
Brian Hartline is a name praised by every NFL player who went to Ohio State. Asked CJ Stroud about long-time WR coach Hartline’s impact at tOSU and what kind of head coach he will be. I guess I broke the news to Stroud, too. pic.twitter.com/vo3oqwe9fO
— Landry Locker (@LandryLocker) December 3, 2025
“He knows how to relate to everybody,” Stroud said. “I think what’s cool about Hart. He doesn’t fake who he is. He’s going to be who he is through everything. He’s really one of the main reasons that I went to Ohio State....I think he’s going to do great. I can’t wait to see him flourish as a head coach.”
In Sayin's perfect world, he'll have four more games to pick Hartline's brain before sending off the new South Florida head coach with another national championship.