Ryan Day Announces Brian Hartline News Ahead of Cotton Bowl

The Ohio State Buckeyes are scheduled to take on the Miami Hurricanes tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with a trip to the College Football Playoff semi-finals on the line.

The Buckeyes are coming off of a historic four-game run in the 2024 Playoff that led to the program's first national championship since 2014.

Ohio State will lose rising offensive coordinator and former Buckeyes wide receiver Brian Hartline this offseason as he has accepted an offer to become the next head coach at the University of South Florida.

On Tuesday, coach Day announced Hartline news regarding his plans for the Cotton Bowl.

Day Announces Hartline News

Day announced that Hartline will be down on the field during the action tomorrow night against the team the Buckeyes beat for the 2003 national championship.

"It looks like Brian and I will be down on the field," Day said.

"We will have (tight ends coach) Keenan (Bailey) go upstairs, and then Brian can really help — he'll still be involved with everything we do, everybody is involved with the play calling, and ultimately I'll have the last say," Day said.

"But (Brian) is gonna come down, help with the receivers, and Keenan will go up and help organizationally," the Buckeyes head coach added according to Chase Brown.

Buckeyes Big Favorites Over 'Canes

The Buckeyes are 9.5 point favorites over the Hurricanes according to major sportsbooks in what is expected to be a hotly contested duel between Buckeyes QB Julian Sayin and Hurricanes QB Carson Beck, formerly of the Georgia Bulldogs.

Sayin made it to New York for this season's Heisman Trophy ceremony after leading OSU to an undefeated regular season that culminated with a 13-10 loss to Indiana and eventual Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Beck and the Hurricanes have been a Jekyll-and-Hyde team this season with signature wins over Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Florida and other schools and losses to Louisville and SMU sandwiched in-between.

Day knows offense will be important in this game as the Hurricanes have an athletic defense that has risen to the occasion against the best opponents it has faced all year, having held the Fighting Irish to 24 points and the Aggies to three points in their wins.

Hartline and Day are a dynamic duo in the coaching ranks, but this Playoff is their last hurrah together.

For Buckeye fans and the duo themselves, back-to-back national titles sounds like a perfect way for Hartline to finish his Ohio State career.