Brian Hartline addresses the matter of him potentially taking Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith with him to South Florida when the portal was open
Brian Hartline was asked about the possibility of Jeremiah Smith deciding to go to South Florida back when the transfer portal was open.
The biggest loss for Ryan Day’s Ohio State football coaching staff after the season was Brian Hartline heading to South Florida to become a head coach.
Hartline was always leaving at some point for an elevation with no path to being the head coach at Ohio State right now. The worry with Hartline leaving was who he would take with him.
Ohio State lost north of 30 players to the portal and just WR Bryson Rodgers and EDGE C.J. Hicks followed Hartline to USF.
Brian Hartline opens up about the possibility of bringing Jeremiah Smith to USF
“Yeah, we had a deal worked out,” Hartline joked on a recent episode of Andy and Ari. “I just decided to tell him it was probably better for him to stay at Ohio State instead of coming down here. He was more than welcome if he wanted to.”
Smith was the No. 1 player in the class of 2024 and immediately became the top weapon in his first year with the program. Ohio State does not win a national championship without Smith and the 1,315 receiving yards he had as a true freshman.
“I mean Ohio State’s a special place. We know that, guys,” Hartline explained. “It’s not just one coach or one player. It is how they operate in totality. And him being there will absolutely maximize what he’s capable of.”
Smith may have come to Columbus in large part due to Hartline and his development. But with Smith already staying for two years at Ohio State and what he’s making there NIL-wise, there’s not much reason for him to leave.
Jeremiah Smith is approaching rewriting the Ohio State record books
Smith has 163 catches for 2,558 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns through two seasons. The star wideout is just 311 receiving yards away from being the all-time leading receiver at Ohio State. Emeka Egbuka holds the record for catches with 205, which Smith is set to break with ease in three seasons.
Ohio State brought in former LSU wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton to lead the position and work with Smith. Enjoy the best wideout to ever come through Ohio State for one more season, because he’s off to the NFL in 2027.
Ohio State Buckeyes News
Brian Hartline gets real honest on his decision to leave the Ohio State Buckeyes for South Florida to be a head coach for the first time
Brian Hartline opened up on his decision to leave Columbus and the Buckeyes to be the head coach at USF.
