Ohio State Offensive Coordinator Brian Hartline Says He’s Focused On The Buckeyes Headed Into The Cotton Bowl

Although Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline has already accepted the head coaching position at South Florida, his attention is on the Buckeyes headed into their Cotton Bowl matchup with Miami (Fla.) on New Year’s Eve.

“I’m not talking about South Florida,” Hartline said during an availability on Monday after reporters asked multiple questions about the Bulls. “We’re focusing on the Buckeyes. (I) love the Buckeyes. It’s at the front of my mind.”

Hartline, who has been an assistant coach at Ohio State since 2017, called plays for the Buckeyes for the first time this season. Hartline helped lead Ohio State to its first 12-0 regular season this year since 2019, but just three days after it was reported that he accepted the head-coaching job at South Florida, Ohio State’s offense struggled in a 13-10 loss to Indiana at the Big Ten Championship.

On Monday, Hartline discussed the challenges of the week leading up to the Big Ten Championship game.

“The organization was great. I think it was just about getting pulled — not having enough hours in the day,” Hartline said. “If God would have just given us 36 hours in a day, it would have been fine, but we didn’t have that. It was tough. But I think that in the end, the early part of the week was tough, but the last 48 hours before the game was not tough. We were well organized. I think that we didn’t execute.”

Hartline will not be calling plays during the Cotton Bowl. Instead, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day announced last week that he will be calling plays for his team’s game against the Hurricanes.

Still, Hartline said his gameday role will be pretty similar for the Cotton Bowl.

“Coach kind of made some comments on making sure I’m good. He was trying to look after me. He was like, ‘You’ve done a really good job.’ Some of the guys are trying to step up a little more from a day-to-day standpoint, maybe a little bit, but not much has changed,” Hartline said. “I think that we want to do a great job of having an edge and maximizing the next three games. Everything we’re doing here is for that purpose.”

One thing that could change for Hartline on gameday is his location. Hartline has spent his time during this year’s games in the coaches’ box, but he could be on the field on Wednesday now that he’s not calling plays.

“We’re working on that,” Hartline said. “Ask Coach (Day) about it, but me and Coach Day have talked, and we could change that. … I love being on the field. So again, not finalized. Coach Day can kind of answer all of that for you. But I love being on the field.”

Hartline spent multiple seasons as a coordinator at Ohio State, but he will likely be most remembered for his time as a receivers coach.

Hartline helped several Ohio State receivers become star players during his time as the leader of the room. However, Hartline is confident the Buckeyes’ receivers will continue to flourish despite his impending departure, in large part because of Day’s presence at the helm of the program.

“I think Ryan Day is a big reason as to why the receiver room has been so great, and again, it’s the people. It’s about getting the right guys in the building, both as coaches, as players, and keeping them to the standard that Coach Day has established here.”