The Penn State Nittany Lions and Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline seem like a match made in heaven after PSU parted ways with long-time head coach James Franklin in early October.
It may not turn out to be that way if the Buckeyes can go on another deep run through the College Football Playoff, though. Penn State Nittany Lions On SI's Chase Fisher noted that Hartline and TAMU Aggies head coach Mike Elko could both be preoccupied until January, making both a risk if PSU is willing to wait for either.
Fisher also cast doubt on Hartline's potential transition from Columbus, where he played and has lived for over a decade, between his playing days and coaching career with the Buckeyes.
"... Hartline is a gamble," Fisher wrote. "He’s in his eighth season as an assistant, first as a play-caller, and hasn’t even run an FCS program, much less a $130 million annual operation. He also hasn’t coached anywhere but Ohio State, which limits his perspective. What if the Ohio state playbook (on field and off) doesn’t work in State College?
"Further, there’s the timeline issue that impacts other playoff coaches, notably Mike Elko of Texas A&M. Ohio State likely will be playing into mid-January, through the transfer-portal window, and Hartline doesn’t seem like the coach who would abandon his alma mater during a championship run to build another roster. Can Penn State afford to wait for Hartline?"
Brian Hartline a candidate for every coaching job in the country
Hartline, an Ohio native, has his lay of the land across the country because of how well he has recruited and developed the receiver positions for OSU.
That means schools that want him but probably not vice versa, like the Oklahoma State Cowboys, Arkansas Razorbacks, and Stanford Cardinal, will give him a call. It definitely means he'll be hearing from the LSU Tigers, Florida Gators, and Virginia Tech Hokies.
As Fisher notes, Penn State is high on Hartline and will probably invest big in his program. He'd reunite with Jim Knowles, who was the defensive coordinator as he was the WR coach, though the two likely didn't cross paths all that much in the latter's three years with the Buckeyes. He'd be the next potential great coordinator-to-head coach hire like Kirby Smart and Dan Lanning were.
A deep OSU CFP run complicates that. There are more reasons for Buckeye fans to thirst for a repeat.