Once Chip Kelly left for the Las Vegas Raiders, Ryan Day decided to promote Brian Hartline to be the sole offensive coordinator. The Ohio State football team will now have Harline call plays for the first time in his career. He was supposed to a couple of years ago, but he Ryan Day took over duties because he just couldn't relinquish them.
Hartline now gets to run the show after being the wide receivers coach for several years. That would lead some to think that he might just want to throw the ball a bunch. With a new starting quarterback at the helm, that might not be true. Hartline knows he needs to establish the run.
What should the Buckeyes expect out of Hartline when it comes to play-calling? They should expect a varied offensive coordinator who should be able to balance the run and the pass effectively. Still, Ohio State will likely throw it a bit more than they will run it.
What to expect from Brian Hartline as Ohio State's offensive coordinator
Hartline is going to make sure that he gets the ball to his best players, who are the wide receivers. Jeremiah Smith is perhaps the best player in all of college football, so Hartline is going to want to make sure that he shcemes up plays to get him the ball as much as possible.
That doesn't mean that the Buckeyes will stray away from running the ball. He understands that play-action is the best way to throw the ball deep. The running backs should still be very good, even though they are replacing two very good backs.
Ohio State is going to have a learning curve. Hartline won't be a savant right away. He's going to learn what works and what doesn't. The Buckeyes will figure it out sooner rather than later because Hartline is a smart coach. There's a reason Day promoted him.