Simply uttering the words aloud was enough to make Brian Hartline emotional.
It’s not that the Ohio State wide receivers coach, a former Buckeye wideout himself, has not conceptualized what it would be like to leave his post in Columbus for another opportunity. It’s just that every time he walks through the scenario in his mind, the reality becomes too difficult to bear.
The North Canton native had a list of reasons Tuesday to explain why leaving the Buckeye program for another job isn’t in his immediate plans, and perhaps chief among them is the commitment he’s made to the players he works with most closely.
“The conversations I have with my wife, we can’t imagine leaving the guys in the room,” Hartline said. “Even to this day, like it gives me chills, trying to walk in and tell them I’m not gonna be in the room anymore. That would be really hard to do, and I don’t think I can do that. Never say never, but it almost chokes me up now. I couldn’t even imagine going in there and looking at Marvin (Harrison Jr.) and (Emeka Egbuka) and Jayden (Ballard) and telling them I’m not gonna be here anymore. Low chance.”
Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline was asked today how hard it would be to leave OSU for another job as his name continues to become popular in the industry.
— Garrick Hodge (@Garrick_Hodge) November 2, 2021
Hartline said he "couldn't imagine" leaving the Buckeyes and Ohio State is "the pinnacle of the ladder." pic.twitter.com/AzeiQwe6SG
It’s easy for Hartline to think of his players as extensions of his own family, because, as he put it at Tuesday's press conference, “I hang out with them more than my son and my daughter and I’m sure the next one on the way, and my wife.”
Those same relationships with his pupils are a major factor in what makes Hartline a potential star coach at something other than an assistant level. Hartline’s recruiting acumen in just four years has been nothing short of remarkable, and the talent in his position room is a direct reflection of that.
The Buckeyes’ 2020 recruiting class featured four of the top 16 wide receivers in the country: Julian Fleming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Gee Scott Jr. and eventual transfer Mookie Cooper. Before most of those players have even had a chance to put their imprint on the program, Hartline brought in three of the 15 wideouts in the country once again in 2021: Egbuka, Harrison Jr. and Ballard.
“I pinch myself and can’t believe I’m the receiver coach at Ohio State. It’s pretty surreal to me,” Hartline said. “More times than you probably think. I don’t take it for granted, it hits me a lot when I’m coming off the field. I think sometimes in the hustle and bustle you kind of lose track of that and you’re more focused on executing and making sure everyone understands what’s going on. But there’s definitely times on gamedays or pre-game and opportunities on Monday – there’s times throughout the week all the time that it kind of hits me in the face. It makes me smile to this day, as you can tell.”
On the horizon in 2022, the talent just keeps rolling in, as four of the top 20 recruits at the position – Caleb Burton, Kaleb Brown, Kyion Grayes and Kojo Antwi – have already committed to Hartline and the Buckeyes.
Even if Hartline wasn’t the primary recruiter for Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, two of the top wideouts in the country with first-round draft-pick potential, his tutelage has been key in their development. Hartline recruited Jameson Williams to Ohio State, and despite his preseason transfer to Alabama, the breakout success he’s achieved with the Crimson Tide only underscores the level of ability in Hartline’s wide receivers room.
Hartline won’t be quick to abandon what he’s built in Columbus, though he’s not completely ruling out the possibility that he could wind up somewhere else eventually.
“I’m also not a person to sit here and tell you like, ‘No, I’m never leaving Ohio State,’” Hartline said. “I’m not saying I ever will. And you say go up the ladder, like, go where? This is the pinnacle of the ladder. And the ego, at this point, it’s pretty minimal – I think – at times. Maybe other people don’t think so. But I don’t need the satisfaction of calling plays or whatever.
“I don’t know what that ladder is. But to me, I’m at the pinnacle of the ladder. So unless there was a relationship that I know of somebody at this spot – again, I don’t even think it’s college – I don’t know. That’s a big question, hard to answer. All I know is I love Ohio State and my wife’s from here, we live here, love my house, I don’t know. It would be really hard to leave. I don’t think that’s ever really in the books. But speculation is fun.”
Speculation surrounding coach mobility is something Hartline would much prefer to be on the other side of. The former seven-year NFL veteran said he still struggles to think of himself as a coach and loves to see how other coaches handle questions about where they might end up next.
“I sit back and watch all this as a fan, like, ‘Oh my god, look at all this gossip, this is hilarious.’ So I don’t want to get caught up in the gossip, I want to be outside,” Hartline said. “I like enjoying watching it, so you guys can keep me out of it.”
Hartline has goals for the individual development of each of the receivers in his stable, and perhaps winning a national championship in scarlet and gray – something that’s eluded him in eight years as both a player and coach – is a motivating force as well.
First and foremost though, Hartline said “all I care about is this room,” and that leaving Ohio State would belie what he called his “forever focus.”
“I can’t imagine it, so at this point I’m not going to,” Hartline said. “I’m good. We’re gonna go keep winning football games, keep progressing and see where these guys look in a couple years, and come back in and talk to you guys about them. And the next ones, and so on and so forth.”
