With all the talk of NIL, recruiting, the coaching carousel, etc. that goes on this time of year one thing remains clear: Brian Hartline is one of the best (if not the best) position coaches I have ever seen.
We all know this. His combination of elite development of current players on top of his "pick whoever I want" recruiting abilities is truly remarkable. His recruiting in particular is essentially "NIL-proof" due to the checks that his players consistently cash in the NFL.
The funny part of this is that he never even intended to get into coaching. He mentioned before he only started working with the team as a scout team player during bowl prep in 2016 before Urban convinced him to join the staff in a support role based on what he saw. Fast forward 6 years and here we are, which got me thinking...
What former Buckeyes could take the "Brian Hartline path" and become an elite position coach if they stumbled upon the desire to coach? The criteria:
- Played for the Buckeyes and loves Ohio State
- Productive NFL career to help in recruiting
- Was successful as a player based on attention to detail as opposed to only raw athleticism/talent
- Energetic and charismatic personality to connect with players
- Currently not playing football
Maybe John Simon can become the next Mike Vrabel? Notre Dame took James Laurinaitis from us for the time being, but he certainly fits the bill. Would AJ Hawk ever want to coach? JT Barrett is also close to meeting these requirements without the productive NFL career, although he currently works for the Lions (boy have they been hot lately).
Who do you all think would be a killer coach if they got into it? I'm curious if we could fake-create an entire coaching staff with Brian Hartline-type players. Maybe someone could then tell Coach Day to give them a call...
Go Bucks!
