Ohio State Is Paying The Price Of Greatness

They say pressure is a privilege. Having high expectations year over year is the price of being great. Another price teams tend to have to pay at the top of the mountain is that it’s hard to keep the staff together. In the Nick Saban era at Alabama, the Tide had a total of 17 coordinators (if you count Steve Sarkisian and Kevin Steele twice when they returned) over 17 seasons.

Now, as Ryan Day is gearing up for the Big Ten Championship and the College Football Playoff, he will be tasked with replacing another coordinator. Last year, he lost both Jim Knowles (to Penn State) and Chip Kelly (to the NFL) after winning it all. Once the Buckeyes are done playing this year, Day will lose Brian Hartline. After much speculation year over year, Hartline finally landed a head coaching job. The surprising aspect was where: South Florida.

Ohio State Is Paying The Price Of Greatness

One of the most frustrating things about being good is the fact that the coaching staff often gets poached. People tend to think of the Group of 5 programs losing head coaches to the Power 4 (SEE: Alex Golesh, Jon Sumrall, etc.). An underrated aspect of coaching is those coordinators.

Hartline has been with the Buckeyes for years now. After a six-year career as a player in the NFL, Hartline came back to Ohio State in 2017 as an offensive quality control assistant. Then, after just one year in that position, he took over as wide receivers coach after the infamous Zach Smith debacle. Since then, despite having to learn on the job, Hartline stepped up for the Buckeyes in a massive way.

Hartline’s chops in recruiting and developing wide receiver talent are unmatched. Since taking over as the wide receivers coach in 2018, Hartline has brought in six five-star receivers and 19 four-stars (including the 2025 class). Despite leaving, he was integral to getting the 2026 four-star recruit, Jerquaden Guilford.

Eight of his receivers were drafted with five first-round picks over the last four NFL Drafts. Plus, there is a very good chance Carnell Tate joins Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson as first-round picks in 2026 (and Jeremiah Smith in 2028).

No Distractions

Under Day, Ohio State has been one of the elites in college football. Coming off a national title, this year is no different. It’s one thing to win it all. It’s another to keep going and fend off complacency. Despite losing so much to the NFL plus both coordinators, Day’s Buckeyes are back. The top-ranked team in the country has one more test before the CFP in the Big Ten Championship. However, does the news of Hartline getting the job at USF change anything?

Day says, no. Hartline will remain with the team until the end of the CFP run. How the team responds will be crucial. It’s not like losing a head coach and then having to play through the CFP as one team will likely have to. It will likely be more like the Buckeyes’ 2014 run. Tom Herman was announced as the head coach at Houston before the Buckeyes’ Sugar Bowl against Alabama. He coached through the CFP and left after winning it all.

Based on the reception on social media, the Buckeyes are supportive of Hartline. It’s going to be a test of Day’s culture. Will the players add it to their motivation to go back-to-back? As a result, will it cause them to get tight and lose focus? It will be on Day to make sure everyone is locked in. What better way to send off a consummate Buckeye than to win another title?

Now What?

Barring any announcement, we will likely take a closer look at who could take over for Hartline later this offseason. Superficially, names like Jerry Neuheisel and even Brian Daboll have been floated with varying degrees of seriousness. Reuniting with Kevin Wilson or Chip Kelly could also be on the table, of course.

There is a lot of football between now and then. It could just be a promotion from within. Keenan Bailey, the current tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator, would be a seamless promotion. The same could be said about Tyler Bowen, the offensive line coach. When it comes to filling the wide receivers coach role, there is an in-house option there as well: Devin Jordan.

Jordan played for the Buckeyes under Jim Tressel and returned as a grad assistant. From there, he coached receivers at Wittenberg (D-III), Otterbein (D-III), Walsh (D-II), Malone (D-II), Youngstown State (FCS), and Akron. He returned to Ohio State in 2022 as an assistant wide receivers coach. If Day wants a seamless transition, Jordan could be it. He worked with Hartline for four seasons. Plus, if fans want a guy who worked his way up the old-fashioned way, Jordan’s path from Division III all the way up to Ohio State is perfect.

Again, there is a lot of football to be played before Hartline takes over the Bulls.

The Buckeyes had a slight hiccup on early signing day with a pair of flips (with one still up in the air). But, overall, the 2026 class came together as expected. All systems are go against Indiana and the CFP thereafter.