“Why did you want this job?”
That was the question that reverberated through the halls of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Saturday, emerging from the lips of decades-long Ohio State reporter Tim May in his trademark southern drawl. The echoes had not settled before new Buckeye wide receiver coach Cortez Hankton, jumped in with his answer.
The response was obvious, and the squint that crossed Hankton’s left eye indicated as much, though it still needed to be said. What former coach Brian Hartline left in the position room, one of the great offensive minds at head coach in Ryan Day, the unit’s recent penchant for churning out first-round NFL draft picks with more on the way – it’s the most attractive situation for any of America’s collegiate receivers coaches.
“You know this is the place to come to,” Hankton said. “When Hart left, you kind of look like, ‘OK, that room is loaded over there.’ And when I got the phone call and had conversations and communications, I could see myself as a fit here. And so it's even better than I would ever have imagined.”
Hankton is walking into the Cadillac of all position rooms in the country, with a pair of veteran transfers to bolster plenty of in-house talent, headlined by the best player in college football, one Jeremiah Smith.
“Every guy has that opportunity to make plays, and it's good to see a group that has so much talent,” Hankton said. “And from top to bottom. I think the freshmen have done a really good job of coming in, buying into the culture and coming out and also putting their skill sets on display. And so I know I didn't give you an individual answer, because I think that it may be a day or rep that a guy has shown something. And so from top to bottom, I think this group is extremely talented.”
Hankton’s attraction to Ohio State is clear. The instant connection between the Buckeyes’ current wide receivers and a few of the high-end talents Hankton has developed is what made the attraction mutual.
During a radio show appearance on 97.1 the Fan on Jan. 30, Day recalled how he and his wideouts were nodding and saying “this is our guy” after their visit with Hankton during the offseason. Midway through spring practice, Smith feels that confidence has been rewarded with the impact Hankton has already made.
“He’s brought a lot of juice to this program, especially in the receiver room,” Smith said on Saturday. “Been a big help for all of us coming in, all the young guys and me as well and all the veterans. Just a guy that fits our culture and fits everything I've asked for in a receiver coach and blessed to have him on our team.”
In the four years at LSU that predated Hankton’s move to Ohio State, 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 Jr., who went No. 23 overall in the same draft.
Before his time in Baton Rouge, Hankton spent four seasons as Georgia's receivers coach from 2018 through 2021, serving as the passing game coordinator for 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.
Of course, Hankton will have a first-rounder ready-made in Smith, a projected top-five overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft.
“It's a blessing. I'm grateful. I'm thankful,” Hankton said of Smith. “He's a generational talent. But more importantly, he's a fine young man. He's a great kid. And he yearns to learn football. He yearns to be coached. And he's like that every single day. He's been a sponge. We've put a lot on his plate, but he's handled it well.”
Senior and returning captain Brandon Inniss is slated to be Ohio State’s No. 2 wide receiver, with transfers Kyle Parker (LSU) and Devin McCuin (UTSA) both entering their fourth year of college football. Five-star freshman Chris Henry Jr. is already nipping at the heels of the seasoned receivers ahead of him, however.
“Talented, but he's young,” Hankton said of Henry. “Like all of the young guys, they have a lot to learn, but he's done a good job. And just trying to get him to truly play at a high level with urgency and playing fast, but he's so efficient and smooth, and he has the length and ball skills. And he's an extremely talented young man. But he still has to improve every single day.”
Hankton has already set to work on further developing Ohio State’s unit. Yards after catch are the biggest emphasis this offseason. That’s where Smith’s attention lies, improving at creating big plays after the ball is in his hands.
“That's really the biggest emphasis in our receiver room this year, and especially a goal of mine this year,” Smith said. “I think we were like, I could say, the worst team in yards after catch last year, we really had no guys that had juice when they had the ball in their hands. So that's something we've been working on as a receiver group this year.”
“He’s brought a lot of juice to this program, especially in the receiver room.”– Jeremiah Smith on Cortez Hankton
The good news for Smith and company is that Hankton is a yards-after-catch specialist, saying it’s one of his favorite things to coach up. He wants his receivers to have the mentality that they’re going to score every single time they touch the football.
“It's a part of my personality, in terms of who I am and what I've coached over a number of years,” Hankton said. “And it was something I felt like we can improve on. And so when I came in, Coach (Day) ironically said, ‘Hey, this is an area where I feel like we can improve.’ And so I felt like it was right in my wheelhouse. And the guys have done an outstanding job just embracing that mindset and mentality, and it showed up, it showed up in practice.”
It’s nigh impossible for any man to have the same results Hartline did. But Hankton is where he wants to be at Ohio State. And Ohio State believes he’s the man they most wanted next.
