Ohio State has found its replacement for Brian Hartline in the receiver room.
The Buckeyes hired former LSU wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator Cortez Hankton on Thursday to coach their receivers starting in 2026, as Hartline departs to become the head coach at South Florida.
Welcome our new Wide Receivers Coach, @Coach_Hankton to Buckeye Nation pic.twitter.com/PaO0TbFAM3
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 1, 2026
“We’re excited to welcome Cortez and his family to Ohio State,” Ryan Day said in an Ohio State press release. “His experience recruiting and developing some of the best wide receiver talent in the country speaks for itself. I think he is going to integrate into our program’s culture and values, which are at the core of who we are, very well.”
LSU hired Lane Kiffin as its new head coach for 2026, with Kiffin migrating his offensive staff from Ole Miss with him to Baton Rouge, including receivers coach George McDonald to take over Hankton's now former position.
Hankton, who enjoyed a nine-year NFL career at receiver as a player, spent the past four seasons at LSU. There, he helped develop two first-round NFL draft picks: Current New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Brian Thomas, who went No. 23 overall in the same draft. Hankton also produced current New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, a sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft, at LSU. All three men have at least 500 receiving yards in the professional ranks this season.
Hankton was LSU's passing game coordinator upon his hiring in 2022 and in 2023, then promoted to co-offensive coordinator in 2024. The Tigers had the nation's No. 3 passing offense in 2023 (338.9 yards per game) and the No. 7 aerial attack in 2024 (315.2) before dipping to 63rd nationally in 2025 (229.5) as head coach Brian Kelly was on the way out.
Prior to his time in Baton Rouge, Hankton spent four seasons as Georgia's receivers coach from 2018 through 2021, where he was passing game coordinator the last three of those years. He churned out four NFL draft picks for the Bulldogs, most notably current Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens, a second-round selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022.
Recruiting is one area where Hankton will aim for improvement in his transition to Ohio State. He's only served as the primary recruiter for one composite five-star prospect across his eight years at Georgia and LSU, that being Pickens. He didn't recruit Nabers or Thomas to LSU.
Hankton started his coaching career as Dartmouth's receivers coach from 2012 through 2014 before coaching the position at Vanderbilt from 2015 through 2017, after which Georgia hired him.
Ohio State still must determine who will replace Hartline as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator for the 2026 season.
