Ohio State Buckeyes football coach Ryan Day assigned newly-hired offensive coordinator Brian Hartline a very specific piece of homework this offseason:
Familiarize himself with the Buckeyes' quarterback room off the field and grow a personal relationship with each signal-caller.
"Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, of course, has a tight relationship with the Buckeyes' wide receivers. He recruited all of them and still coaches the wideouts even after his promotion to OC," Bucknuts' Dave Biddle wrote.
"However, one thing that head coach Ryan Day has really encouraged Hartline to do is forge close relationships with the quarterbacks as well. And that is exactly what the former OSU and NFL wide receiver is doing."
Hartline admitted he didn't want to do it just because Day said so. He also shared his belief that the initiative has been a success so far.
"Yeah, it's been great," Hartline said following Friday's practice. "I think the dialogue that all started more in the spring, to continue that in the summer, a good amount, but then to get into fall camp and really be more hands-on, has been enjoyable. Having opportunities to play some pool basketball with some of these guys, let them get competitive, and they can feel me get competitive.
"I'm not in a world of trying to force anything, just let it happen organically, but I think it has been really positive so far. We've got a great room, so it's an easy process to be involved with those guys."
Day is the QB whisperer as a former record-breaker on the New Hampshire Wildcats. Hartline has helped OSU become WRU over the last eight years.
If Hartline can get to a point where he can be the sole play-caller, opening up Day to be a CEO in other ways, the Buckeyes would become an even more dangerous team, in the Big Ten and on the national stage.
Either way, Hartline and Matt Patricia are under the microscope this season, despite Ohio State winning it all this past January.