Ohio State OC Brian Hartline set to interview for SEC head coaching job days before the Big Ten Championship against Indiana
Not the news that the Buckeyes need around Brian Hartline days before they take on the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Ohio State Buckeyes haven’t won a Big Ten Championship since the 2020 season, and they’ll have a chance to end that streak on Saturday when they take on the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers. While the Buckeyes prepare for the Hoosiers, one of their own is also set to interview for a head-coaching position.
Ohio State OC Brian Hartline set to interview for open Kentucky job
According to Cats Illustrated, Hartline will interview for the Kentucky Wildcats’ head-coaching job on Monday evening or Tuesday. His name surfaced almost immediately after the Wildcats decided to move on from longtime head coach Mark Stoops. Hartline and Oregon OC Will Stein are the two candidates who have generated the most buzz for the job.
This isn’t the first time Hartline has been in the mix for a head-coaching opportunity. Before West Virginia brought back Rich Rodriguez, Hartline interviewed for the Mountaineers’ vacancy. The Kentucky job appears far more realistic for him, and there are several reasons why. Any SEC job carries significant value, and Kentucky has traditionally recruited the state of Ohio well. If Hartline landed the job, he would almost certainly elevate the Wildcats’ recruiting operation in a major way.
Hartline is in his first year as Ohio State’s play caller and has coached wide receivers in Columbus since 2017. The former NFL receiver took over play-calling duties from Chip Kelly after Kelly departed for the NFL, and the Buckeyes have been terrific on offense this season with a well-balanced attack. Even so, Hartline and the Buckeyes haven’t truly been tested despite their 12-0 record.
Interviewing at this point in the season isn’t unusual — it’s simply a product of the current college football calendar. With National Signing Day this week and the transfer portal set to open soon, programs need to act quickly to hire new coaches, even as some teams prepare for championship runs. That’s the situation in Columbus with Hartline, who will be calling plays against Indiana in just a few days.
Hartline will be a head coach at some point, and when he takes that step, it will be a significant loss for the Buckeyes. Still, it’s Ohio State, and the program would undoubtedly find a high-level replacement. With Ohio State’s offensive coordinator set to interview for the Kentucky job, all eyes now turn to where this process goes from here.
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