Brian Hartline isn't going anywhere.
Hartline was named Saturday as Ohio State's permanent wide receivers coach, shedding his interim tag.
“Brian is a terrific young coach and mentor to our players and I am thrilled he is on our staff permanently now,” new Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said in a press release. “Brian was displaying outstanding leadership qualities when he was a quality control coach, and his efforts coaching the wide receivers this season are a huge reason we are Big Ten champions and headed to the Rose Bowl.”
Hartline was named as Ohio State's interim wide receivers coach in July after former wide receivers coach Zach Smith was fired. In his first season coaching Ohio State's wide receivers, Ohio State's passing offense has had its most prolific season in school history.
Parris Campbell has caught 79 passes for 992 yards and 11 touchdowns, K.J. Hill has caught 65 passes for 811 yards and six touchdowns, Terry McLaurin has caught 34 passes for 669 yards and 11 touchdowns and Johnnie Dixon has caught 40 passes for 642 yards and seven touchdowns – all improvements from 2017, with the exception of Dixon's touchdowns – to lead Hartline's first receiving corps.
A former Ohio State wide receiver himself, Hartline joined Ohio State's coaching staff in 2017 as a quality control coach. He also played in the NFL for seven seasons following his playing career for the Buckeyes.
Hartline's promotion is the first coaching staff decision to be officially announced by Day since he was named as Ohio State's head coach for the 2019 season on Tuesday.
In his lone interview session as interim wide receivers coach in October, Hartline told reporters that he was trying to prove himself and help Ohio State's wide receivers get better every day.
“I truly come in every day, and really, when I go home at night, I’m always thinking about how I can get these guys better constantly. And on my way in, I’m always making sure I perform at the highest level, because the things I do have ramifications throughout the week, and I just have that approach,” Hartline said at the time.
Hartline has consistently drawn praise for his coaching from the wide receivers he has coached this season, including McLaurin.
“He’s very energetic, and hands-on,” McLaurin said in August. “He’s always running around, always critiquing everybody, coaching everybody up, whether you’re a starter or you’re a walk-on. So he really brings a lot to our room, and we’re happy to have him.”
