Ryan Day drops bold statement on Brian Hartline’s decision to leave Ohio State that should put Buckeye Nation at ease
Ohio State lost Brian Hartline today but Ryan Day just gave a firm reminder on why Buckeye fans need to breathe.
The Ohio State Buckeyes took a loss on Tuesday as they continue preparing to play the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten Championship Game. Offensive coordinator Brian Hartline has accepted the head coaching job at USF, leaving the Buckeyes in need of a new offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.
Hartline will remain with Ohio State through its College Football Playoff run before heading to South Florida. With his departure, the Buckeyes lose not only their play-caller but also their top recruiter. That’s a tough pill to swallow, even with Hartline sticking around for the most important stretch of the season.
Ryan Day has a reminder for Buckeye Nation
“Coach Meyer, Coach Tressel said this to me when I took the job. This job is bigger than any one person,” Day said on Tuesday. “Ohio State has been good for a long time; we’ll continue to be good moving forward. While there always will be these situations for whatever reason, good or bad, we all aim for them to be good, and when we’re doing well, people have opportunities, and that’s part of it.”
Hartline has been with Ohio State since 2017, and he elevated recruiting in a way the Buckeyes hadn’t quite seen before. In each recruiting cycle, it has seemed like Hartline could handpick the five-star wideout he wanted. Jeremiah Smith is a great example of that—as was Jaxon Smith-Njigba. With Hartline leaving, the Buckeyes will need to nail their next offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach hire.
“He was able to let the wide receivers know and the recruits know,” Day said. “I’m really happy for him and his family. The fact that he gets the opportunity to do this—he’s put in a lot of hard work here at Ohio State as a player and now as a coach. That’s part of the profession. As a head coach, it’s gratifying to see one of your assistants get one of these opportunities.”
While things may feel uncertain at the moment, Ohio State will be fine. Losing an assistant coach isn’t going to derail a program that has been at the top of college football for the last two years. It simply makes it even more important that the Buckeyes replace Hartline with the right person.
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