Ohio State coordinator Brian Hartline named South Florida head coach
Brian Hartline has been hired as the head coach at South Florida, leaving Ohio State without one of its most high-profile assistants, the school announced on Dec. 3.
Hartline has been the wide receivers coach for the Buckeyes throughout coach Ryan Day’s tenure and called the offense this season in his second stint as their primary coordinator .
The only other position coach left from Day’s inaugural staff in 2019 is longtime defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
“As a head coach, it’s gratifying to see one of your assistants get one of these opportunities,” Day said. “He's going to do great. It's a great opportunity for him. I'm looking forward to see how he does, and so that's exciting for him.”
The 39-year-old Hartline had only in recent days emerged as the target of South Florida’s search to replace Alex Golesh, who was hired by Auburn on Nov. 30 after leading the Bulls to a 9-3 season, including an upset of Florida.
“It's all happened very, very fast,” Day said, “so we had to communicate quickly, but he's handled everything the right way.”
Day said Hartline addressed his pending departure with the wide receivers, and they planned to meet with the team later in the day as practices continue ahead of the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 6.
In a statement released by USF, Hartline said he was "honored" and "excited" to lead its program.
“Becoming a first-time head coach at a place like USF is a dream come true for me and my family,” Hartline added. “I look forward to leading the team to new heights, both on and off the field.”
A former Ohio State wide receiver who went on to play seven seasons in the NFL, Hartline first joined the staff as a quality control coach in 2017 before taking over as position coach a year later, beginning a fast ride climb of the staff ladder .
The 39-year-old Hartline has been held in high regard for his development of wide receivers as the Buckeyes have seen five of them taken in the first round of the NFL draft over the last four years, including Marvin Harrison Jr. who was the highest-drafted receiver in school history at No. 4 overall in 2023.
Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, the Buckeyes’ current star receivers, are seen as likely first-round selections as well, though Smith is not eligible to enter the draft until 2027 as a sophomore.
Hartline is a native of northeast Ohio, but has ties to Florida as he spent six of his seven seasons in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins .
USF, which is based in Tampa and a member of the American Conference, ended up with a head coaching vacancy after Dublin Scioto graduate Alex Golesh left for Auburn earlier this week . The Bulls went 9-3 this year and upset Florida in September.
The timing of Hartline’s reported move differs from last season when the Buckeyes saw their offensive and defensive coordinators leave for jobs following the College Football Playoff.
But Day said Hartline that would remain with the Buckeyes through the postseason, which begins with the Big Ten championship game this week.
It would mirror other situations in Day’s tenure when coordinators accepted head coaching jobs before the playoff. Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson went to Tulsa in 2022 and co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to Boston College in 2019 and remained with the Buckeyes through the postseason.
In Hartline's return to a role as the primary offensive coordinator, the Buckeyes have been one of the highest-scoring offenses in the nation with an average of 37 points per game that ranks 13 th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. It’s a slight uptick from last year when they averaged 35.7 points per game.
This story has been updated with new information.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky , Instagram and X for more.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Brian Hartline to leave Ohio State football to coach South Florida
