The Ohio State Buckeyes are no stranger to seeing their staff being poached by other schools. After seeing Bill O'Brien flee to Boston College this offseason and Luke Fickell go to Wisconsin in 2022, the Buckeyes might be sensitive to seeing top assistants flee. The Florida Gators could be the next program to look at Ryan Day's assistants.

ESPN's Pete Thamel called Gators head coach Billy Napier's firing an "inevitability." Napier, who has only 12 wins in 28 games, has been a disaster from the start. The Buckeyes have experienced coordinators and an attractive elite recruiter who could interest the Gators.

---

Florida Coaching Candidates from Ohio State

We'll look at Ohio State's coordinators and top assistant, Brian Hartline, to see whether the Gators could come to Columbus for their next head coach.

Chip Kelly, OC

In terms of experience, pedigree, and bringing some excitement to Florida, Chip Kelly checks some key boxes. He also likely wouldn't be tremendously expensive. Kelly left UCLA to become the Buckeyes' offensive coordinator and was interviewing for NFL OC jobs this past offseason.

The question with Kelly is whether he wants to be a head coach again. He cited his personal issues with dealing with NIL collectives and building a program, and the pressures of recruiting at Florida would be immense. Despite his impressive resume and ability to build a great offense, I don't think Kelly is overly into running a program anymore.

---

The former Oregon Ducks and Philadelphia Eagles head coach is no longer a hot name for head coaching jobs, and I think that's in line with his desires and expectations. Prediction: The Buckeyes will keep Kelly for several years.

Jim Knowles, DC

Jim Knowles is currently in his third year as the Ohio State University defensive coordinator. In his debut season, the team's defense outperformed its previous year's metrics across the board, with notable enhancements in both total and passing defense.

The 2024 season marks Knowles’ 37th year in college coaching, his 17th as a defensive coordinator, and has 12 years coaching linebackers.

---

Prior to his tenure at Ohio State, Knowles was part of Oklahoma State's coaching staff, where he played a crucial role in steadily improving the team's defensive performance over four years in various categories, including total defense, scoring defense, and both rushing and passing metrics.

It has been 15 years since Knowles last held a head coaching position.

During his time as head coach at Cornell University, his alma mater, from 2004 to 2009, Knowles led the Big Red to a total record of 26-34. Under his guidance, Cornell achieved three consecutive seasons with a .500 or better record for the first time in 14 years.

---

Does Knowles deserve a head coaching job? Absolutely, but on a smaller-scale program. Turning 60 next year, it's a hard sell for Power 5 schools to hire a career assistant into a head coaching job. 

Brian Hartline, WR Coach

Funny enough, although the Buckeyes might have the best assistant duo in college football, Brian Hartline might be the best head coaching candidate on the staff.  Now in his eighth season with the Ohio State coaching staff, Hartline serves as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.

At 37 years old, Hartline has established himself as the premier receivers coach in college football, earning the top spot in this category twice over the past two years.

---

The American Football Coaches Association recognized him in 2019, including him in its AFCA 35 Under 35 list, a distinguished program to nurture the next generation of leading coaching talents.

Over his seven prior seasons with the team, which included a stint as a quality control coach, Hartline has played a pivotal role in recruiting and developing some of the country’s most talented wide receivers.

Since taking on a full-time role in 2018, after a year as an offensive analyst, Hartline's coaching career has been on a meteoric rise. 

---

As a former Ohio State receiver from 2005 to 2008, who then went on to graduate in 2009 and enjoy a seven-season career in the NFL—most of it with the Miami Dolphins, except for one year with the Cleveland Browns—Hartline brings a wealth of experience. During his NFL tenure, he took part in 104 NFL games, starting 73, and amassed 344 receptions for 4,766 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The big red flag with Hartline is his lack of playcalling experience and program control. He seems like a better candidate for a MAC school or lower-tier Power 5 program, not quite the pressure cooker down in Gainesville.