Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline was one of two serious candidates for the Kentucky Wildcats' head coaching job, but UK moved quickly after firing Mark Stoops and hired Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator Will Stein instead. The entire interview process took less than a day.
A Sea of Blue's Drew Holbrook seemed to believe Hartline was the slow-and-steady wins the race candidate, while Stein is the immediate payoff guy.
"If you want to win games immediately with scheme, you hire Stein. If you want to potentially win championships eventually with elite talent, you hire Hartline. That is not to say Hartline is a bad strategist or that Stein can’t recruit; neither of those statements is true, but they both have specialties," Holbrook wrote.
Apparently, Kentucky was tired of losing and wanted to win immediately. Whether Stein can achieve that in the SEC is another question. He certainly knows how to play-call an offense, with stellar results running the Oregon Ducks and UTSA Roadrunners attacks.
Ohio State won the coaching carousel by keeping Brian Hartline
Things could change very quickly, but as of now, Ohio State won the coaching carousel because Hartline is still with the Buckeyes. Assuming no school wants to hire him after a potential CFP title run, which concludes after the portal window in January, Hartline should remain with the team.
Of course, given the success of Julian Sayin and the team's elite and deep receiving corps, Hartline could demand a raise. As long as the Penn State Nittany Lions' job is still open, Hartline will be connected to it. Still, it's expected that Hartline will stay in Columbus indefinitely.
Now, next offseason, things may change. If OSU wins another championship this January, Hartline will be the hottest candidate on the market. Especially if the Buckeyes win because they ran the score up.
For now, though, Ryan Day's not-so-secret weapon is still in Ohio, and the Scarlet and Gray are better off for it.