Ohio State hires Cortez Hankton as wide receivers coach

Ohio State has hired Cortez Hankton to replace Brian Hartline as its wide receivers coach, the school announced on Jan. 1.

It materialized less than 24 hours after the Buckeyes ’ season ended with a loss to Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

Hankton had been at LSU for the last four seasons and most recently held the title as co-offensive coordinator in addition to coaching wide receivers.

"His experience recruiting and developing some of the best wide receiver talent in the country speaks for itself,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said in a statement. “I think he is going to integrate into our program’s culture and values, which are at the core of who we are, very well.”

In Hankton’s early years with the Tigers, he helped to develop Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas who became first-round selections in the NFL draft in 2024.

Nabers, who went as high as sixth overall, was a unanimous All-American in 2023 and finished behind Marvin Harrison Jr. for the Biletnikoff Award as the top wide receiver in college football.

The 44-year-old Hankton was previously the wide receivers coach at Georgia and Vanderbilt.

He has playing experience that mirrors the background of Hartline, going into coaching after a career in the NFL.

Hankton spent six seasons in the NFL, including four with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003-06 in which he caught 34 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns. He also played in the UFL.

It was not immediately clear how the hire would impact the Buckeyes’ search for an offensive coordinator.

Hartline, who had been coaching the Buckeyes’ wide receivers since 2018, had also been the primary coordinator and play-caller this past season before he took the head-coaching job at South Florida .

He has been the only departure among the 10 countable assistant coaches who are allowed to recruit off campus, but there are no longer limits on the number involved during games and practices after the NCAA lifted restrictions in 2024.

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: Ohio State hires Cortez Hankton from LSU as wide receivers coach