Ohio State Buckeyes receive update they need on the Brian Hartline situation ahead of the Big Ten Championship against Indiana
Brian Hartline won’t be taking the SEC job he was a target for ahead of the Big Ten Championship.
The Ohio State Buckeyes got the job done against the Michigan Wolverines over the weekend, and just a couple of days later, some interesting news surfaced as the team began preparations for the Big Ten Championship.
Brian Hartline has expressed interest in head coaching jobs outside of Columbus, and more opportunities are expected to come his way. However, on Monday, news broke that Hartline would interview for the Kentucky Wildcats’ vacancy after they fired Mark Stoops. The latest update is good news for the Buckeyes.
Oregon Ducks took the loss to Kentucky instead of the Buckeyes
The Wildcats have decided to hire Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein as their next head coach. Stein and Hartline were the two prominent names linked to the opening, and it was clear that Kentucky was targeting a young offensive mind to jumpstart the program. With Kentucky hiring Stein, Oregon now loses its talented offensive coordinator, leaving Dan Lanning with a key role to fill.
Just because Hartline didn’t land this job doesn’t mean he won’t accept one this cycle. College football’s hiring timeline is notoriously poor, as teams preparing for College Football Playoff runs often lose staff during the most critical stretch of their seasons. Oregon will have to navigate its CFP run without Stein, but if the coaching cycle occurred a month later, competing programs wouldn’t have to worry about retaining staff while preparing for pivotal games.
Hartline is in his first year as Ohio State’s play-caller, and things have gone very well thus far. What the Buckeyes accomplish from here through their CFP run will be the final indicator of Hartline’s debut season in the role. Still, the 39-year-old remains one of the most coveted coordinators in the sport and is undoubtedly on track to land a head coaching job before long.
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