Ohio State is losing Brian Hartline to the head coaching ranks.
South Florida announced the hiring of Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach as its new head coach on Wednesday.
A 5 star signing!!
— USF Football (@USFFootball) December 3, 2025
Welcome to Tampa Bay, @brianhartline! pic.twitter.com/xcywK2vbIb
"I'm honored and excited to join the University of South Florida as its new head football coach," Hartline said in USF’s announcement. "Becoming a first-time head coach at a place like USF is a dream come true for me and my family. I look forward to leading the team to new heights, both on and off the field. Bulls Nation, we're going to need your support and commitment to help us get to where we all want to be: never-ending championship excellence, building something that lasts, and serving our university, our community, and our fan base with integrity and passion. I can't wait to get to work with our team and the entire USF community. Go Bulls!"
Hartline will remain with Ohio State through the College Football Playoff, Ryan Day said Wednesday.
“The plan is for him to continue to be with the team, which is a challenge for him, but it speaks to his character that he wants to make sure he finishes this thing out the right way,” Day said. “He wants to be with us all the way through, all the way to the end and see this thing out during the season. It will be a busy month for him, but it's been done before, and we'll help him along the way.”
While Day acknowledged that the timing of losing Hartline was less than ideal, he said that’s not Hartline’s fault and that he’s happy for Hartline to have the opportunity to be a head coach.
“I’m really happy for he and his family,” Day said. “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. I think he’s gonna do great. I think it’s a great opportunity for him. And looking forward to seeing how he does. That’s exciting for him.
“The timing isn’t great, but that’s not Brian’s fault; that’s other people’s fault. Hopefully, we can get some of this stuff addressed, but it’s like that for everybody in the country, so instead of being upset about it, we’re gonna embrace it.
Day said it just came together within the last day for Brian Hartline to be South Florida’s head coach, but he said Hartline “handled everything the right way.”
Hartline joined Ohio State’s staff as a quality control coach in 2017 and has been the Buckeyes’ wide receivers coach since 2018, establishing himself as the top receivers coach and best recruiter of his position in the country. He was promoted to offensive coordinator this year and has called plays all season for the 12-0, No. 1-ranked Buckeyes.
In his eight years as Ohio State’s wide receivers coach, Hartline recruited and developed at least six NFL first-round draft picks: Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams (after transferring to Alabama), Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. That number is expected to grow to at least eight, as Carnell Tate is in line to be a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft while Jeremiah Smith is a projected top-five pick in the 2027 NFL draft.
"Brian Hartline was our clear-cut first choice to lead our football program into the most exciting era in program history, and I am so fired up to have him leading the Bulls," USF athletic director Rob Higgins said. "A relentless recruiter, outstanding developer of talent and a gritty competitor, he comes from a championship background and is obsessed with instilling championship excellence in his players and teams. He is ready to lead our program to the next level. He knows the state of Florida, having spent six seasons of his professional playing career in Miami, and has successfully recruited the state and the Bay area for a long time. We are so excited to welcome Brian, his wife Kara and their children Brayden, Kameron and Brooklyn to the Bulls family."
Ohio State will now be in the market for a new offensive coordinator for the second year in a row. The Buckeyes could potentially bring back last year’s offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly, as he was fired by the Las Vegas Raiders last month. Co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Keenan Bailey could also be a candidate to replace Hartline as offensive coordinator and/or wide receivers coach. Of course, the job will also be attractive to top offensive coordinators and wide receivers coaches throughout college football and even in the NFL, giving Ohio State plenty of options to replace Hartline.
Hartline replaces fellow Ohio State alumnus Alex Golesh, who left USF to become the new head coach at Auburn.
Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope, Andy Anders and Chase Brown shared their initial thoughts on Hartline’s departure and how the Buckeyes could replace him in the video below.
