Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is so good at his job, opposing fan bases want to see him get a head coaching job just to stop his elite, years-long receiving pipeline to Columbus.
OutKick's Austin Perry made the claim while also sharing the opinion that Hartline isn't paid enough.
"On another note, whatever they are paying wide receivers coach Brian Hartline to stay at Ohio State, it isn't nearly enough," Perry wrote.
"The pipeline of elite wide receivers that continues to run through central Ohio these past several years has been nothing short of awe-inspiring.
"As a fan of a college football team not named the Buckeyes, I PRAY someone snatches him up for a head coaching job soon.
"Otherwise, we will all have to collectively watch as Hartline and Ohio State take whoever they want from wherever they want."
The opinion that Hartline is deserving of endless praise, any salary he wants, and zero scrutiny isn't shared by everyone. ESPN's Bill Connelly warned that both Hartline and Matt Patricia need to earn their salaries every game.
"In terms of raw recruiting rankings, Ohio State is going to have more talent than every team on its regular-season schedule except maybe Texas in Week 1. (The Buckeyes will have more than almost anyone they might play in the CFP, too.) In Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs, the Buckeyes might have the best offensive and defensive players in the country. Talent wins, and Ohio State will win a lot this season. But at some point, two new coordinators will be asked to earn their salaries," Connelly wrote.
"On offense, Ryan Day is handing the reins to Brian Hartline, who served as coordinator -- with Day still calling plays -- in 2023 when the Buckeyes crashed to 34th in offensive SP+. When Day decided to give up playcalling, he brought in Chip Kelly to take the job and won a national title with him. With Kelly off to the Las Vegas Raiders, it is Hartline's turn again. We'll have no idea if he's ready to be a master playcaller until we see him calling plays. And when Jim Knowles left for Penn State, Day replaced him with Matt Patricia. As I wrote in my Big Ten preview, 'he has loads of NFL experience and was mentored by Bill Belichick, but the last time he performed well in any capacity (from a statistical standpoint) was 2016.' Is he ready?"
Hartline figures to have programs calling for head coaching roles anytime now. If the offense somehow stalls despite having an all-NCAA receiving corps and one of the best offensive lines money can buy, at worst, he can fall back to being the WR coach while someone else becomes the lead play-caller.
Why not just hire Chip Kelly back in that case? Or pursue someone who would've provided more fireworks upon being hired than Hartline's promotion.
Either way, Hartline has options moving forward.
Some just wish he would choose the one that lessens the gap between WRU and every non-Ohio State team in the FBS.