Brian Hartline isn’t taking the opportunity to be Ohio State’s offensive coordinator lightly.
In an interview with Eleven Warriors before the National Football Foundation Columbus Chapter banquet at Ohio State on Monday night, the newly promoted leader of the Buckeyes’ offense said he is honored and humbled that Ryan Day chose him to replace Chip Kelly, knowing how coveted the opportunity to be a coordinator at Ohio State is.
“Great honor,” Hartline said. “Very humbled by it. I mean, Coach can select anybody in the country he wants to be the offensive coordinator at Ohio State, and he has trusted me for me to be one of those guys. So it means a lot.”
It’s not the first time Hartline has been promoted to offensive coordinator, as he previously held that title in 2023 before Kelly was hired in 2024, but it is the first time he’ll be calling the shots for Ohio State’s offense as its lead play caller. Hartline says he learned a lot about how to lead an offense from spending the past year working alongside Kelly, who’s now the offensive coordinator of the Las Vegas Raiders.
“His daily operation, his organization, thought process on game day, the way he communicates with Coach Day … his process installing (plays), deciding whether he likes it or not,” Hartline said of what he learned from Kelly. “There was a lot, but I would just say, I think in hindsight, his communication style and his organization on his process.”
While Hartline said it’s difficult to self-assess his own growth that’s made him ready to be Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, he has worked hard to grow every year since he joined Ohio State’s coaching staff in 2017.
“If you're not growing every year, you're getting caught. So you're always trying to find ways to do better,” Hartline said.
With that in mind, Hartline is already looking forward to next season despite winning a national championship just three weeks ago. But Hartline, who played for the Buckeyes from 2005-08, said it is special to win a national championship at his alma mater, especially because he knows how much it meant to Day and Ohio State’s players.
“It is pretty special. I've been still trying to diagnose that and to digest that, how I truly feel about it,” Hartline said. “I'm already kind of over it, I'm ready for the next year and the follow-up after that. But I also don't want to be in a world where I'm just numb to the fact. So I’m very honored by it. Very proud of the guys. Probably that's the biggest thing, I'm more proud for Coach Day, our staff and especially the seniors, as far as the players go, for them accomplishing that great goal that will echo in eternity, which is the biggest thing.
“When you're younger, I'm still 38, you don't really understand the ramifications until you're 20 years removed sometimes. And so I know that'll probably be one of those situations, but really happy for everybody involved.”
Hartline, who will continue to coach Ohio State’s wide receivers as offensive coordinator, said his message to the Buckeyes’ returning players is to not get satisfied with just winning one national title.
“Anybody can do it for one time. So they're just trying to chase consistency and frequency and that really is the keynote on your level of greatness, how often you do it,” Hartline said. “A lot of those guys have only done it once. So they're trying to do it more than once.”
“Coach can select anybody in the country he wants to be the offensive coordinator at Ohio State, and he has trusted me for me to be one of those guys. So it means a lot.”– Brian Hartline on becoming Ohio State’s offensive coordinator
Hartline was at Monday’s National Football Foundation banquet to receive the Columbus Chapter’s highest honor, the Ohio Gold Award, which honors an individual who made significant contributions to college football in the state of Ohio. Hartline became the third consecutive Ohio State coach to receive the award, joining Larry Johnson in 2024 and Ryan Day in 2023, adding his name to a list of honorees that includes the likes of Woody Hayes, Archie Griffin, Jim Tressel and Jack Nicklaus, just to name a few.
Hartline views it as a great honor to be on the same list as those names.
“I mean, the list of former recipients speaks for itself,” Hartline said. “I was caught off-guard, didn't really know where to go with that, but it was without saying, very honored by it and hopefully try to do right by it from here on out.”
Other honorees at Monday’s banquet included former Ohio State special teams ace Nate Ebner, who received the Tyson Gentry Courage Award; last year’s Ohio State center Seth McLaughlin, who was recognized for his selection as an NFF Scholar-Athlete; fellow former Ohio State center Jacoby Boren, who was recognized for his selection as an NFF Scholar-Athlete in 2015; and former Ohio State guard and assistant coach Bill Conley, who was recognized for his career as a high school coach.
