Brian Hartline salary: How much does Pat Fitzgerald's new potential replacement from Ohio earn? Contract details, net worth, and more

In the wake of Pat Fitzgerald’s sacking, Brian Hartline is one of the names touted to replace him as head coach of Northwestern football. Hartline is a former NFL wide receiver who played for the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns.

Following his NFL career, Hartline joined the Ohio State Buckeyes as a graduate assistant in 2017. He was appointed as the wide receivers coach in 2018. In 2021 he assumed the role of the passing game coordinator in addition to being the wide receivers coach. Earlier this year, he got promoted to offensive coordinator.

Hartline is an alumnus of Ohio State, where he had a successful college football career before being drafted by the NFL team Miami Dolphins at the 2009 NFL draft.

Brian Hartline's new contract as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator pays him $1.6 million annually, and it will run through the 2025 season. The agreement requires Hartline to pay a buyout if he’s leaving to take up a role somewhere else unless it’s a role as head coach.

The 36-year-old’s net worth is put at $14 million by a couple of websites, including The Richest.

On Monday, Brian Hartline emerged as a top candidate for the head coach position at Northwestern football. This came after the school announced it had parted ways with long-service head coach Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald was handed a two-week suspension on Friday following allegations of hazing in the team. The allegations, made by a former player of the Wildcats in November 2022, accused the head coach of having full knowledge of the hideous rituals.

The school launched an investigation, concluding that there was enough evidence to support the allegations. However, not enough evidence was found to prove that Fitzgerald had knowledge of the acts.

Following the publication of two more anonymous accounts detailing the allegations of hazing by the Daily Northwestern, the school revisited Fitzgerald’s punishment.

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When is Brian Hartline joining Northwestern?

Ohio State v Northwestern

However, no official announcement has been made to demonstrate that any offer has been made to Brian Hartline yet. Hartline has also not come out to indicate any interest in the role.

If he agrees to the role, it would be his first stint as a head coach. But he is one of the most highly-rated upcoming coaches in college football. Hartline was included in the AFCA “35 Under 35” Leadership Institute in 2020, an annual recognition of future leaders in football coaching.

However, given the situation at Northwestern, would an untested hand be the best choice to take the reins?