Urban Meyer may have just fueled the fire even more for Ohio State’s Brian Hartline to leave for Penn State
It would be quite the loss for the Buckeyes.
The next couple of months are going to be a wild ride for the college football landscape, with several major head coaching jobs expected to open. While the Ohio State Buckeyes couldn’t be in a better position with Ryan Day leading the program, they may have to worry about losing another key member of their staff this coming offseason after replacing both coordinators from last year.
Ohio State’s decision to transition from Chip Kelly to Brian Hartline as offensive coordinator has worked out nicely so far this season. However, there’s a growing chance that Hartline spends just one year as the Buckeyes’ play-caller in Columbus. Rumblings have surfaced about Hartline being a potential target for Penn State — and the man who originally hired him at Ohio State thinks he’s ready for the next step.
Urban Meyer’s latest comments fuel Brian Hartline-to-Penn State rumors
Ohio State’s former head coach, Urban Meyer, was asked Thursday evening if he had any desire to return to coaching, and he quickly shut that down. The next question was about Hartline — whom Meyer first hired as a quality control assistant in 2017 — and Meyer made it clear he believes Hartline is ready to make the leap.
“I do. I’m a big Brian Hartline fan and always have been … he just needed the experience,” Meyer said. “I’m glad he stayed here; he had a chance to leave. He learned from us and learned from Coach Day, so I think he’s ready.”
Hartline has developed a reputation as the best wide receiver coach in college football. Stars like Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson have all thrived under his guidance. That doesn’t even include emerging standouts like Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith, who are currently shining in Columbus.
Even with Ohio State slowing the pace of play this season, the Buckeyes are still averaging 36.4 points per game and 431 total yards of offense. Hartline is in his third year as offensive coordinator or co-coordinator, but this is his first season handling full play-calling duties. The 38-year-old assistant interviewed for the West Virginia head coaching job a year ago, though that opportunity didn’t materialize. A program like Penn State, however, would be tough to pass up if the offer comes.
Ryan Day and the Buckeyes have done an excellent job replacing coordinators in recent years, but doing it two offseasons in a row at such a high level would be a difficult challenge. For now, the Buckeyes — sitting at 7-0 — are focused on their matchup with Penn State on Saturday. Still, don’t be surprised if the Hartline-to-Penn-State rumors heat up once the offseason arrives. Meyer certainly seems to believe his former assistant is ready for the leap.
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