"Paid his dues" - Ryan Day gets real on Brian Hartline's dedication to Ohio State Buckeyes

Former Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline was elevated to the co-offensive coordinator's position by coach Ryan Day last week after the departure of Chip Kelly to the Las Vegas Raiders. Hartline will share the position with Keenan Bailey.

During Wednesday's segment of the "Triple Option" podcast, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day outlined Hartline's dedication to the Buckeyes indicating why he elevated him to O.C. amid extensive staff changes at Ohio State (8:45):

"We have a core here that we wanna make sure there's a consistency in all three phases," Ryan Day said. "When we talk about our offense and what Brian Hartline has done in recruiting. You know he was the coordinator and then Chip came in and now he's the coordinator.

"This is a guy who's paid his dues here. He didn't just jump to the next job. He learned and grew and got better with every year and the receiver players think that he's the best that there is in the country.

"We wanna make sure that there's consistency in those things and we're not gonna change. The Ohio State defense is the Ohio State defense. The Ohio State offense is the Ohio State offense. And we wanna make sure that we bring folks in that embrace that. These are big decisions as you know these are the decisions that make or break where you're at."

Ryan Day compliments Brian Hartline's loyalty

During last week's segment of "WBNS10-TV," national championship-winning coach Ryan Day was effusive in his praise for Brian Hartline, detailing his loyalty despite being forced to take a step back for Chip Kelly last year.

“You talk about sacrifice,” Day said. “Here’s a guy who, he was named coordinator, and I ended up calling the plays that year. But he grew that year. And then, we decided to bring in Chip, and he had to take a step back. But he learned from Chip, and I thought down the stretch, he did some of his best work I’ve seen him as a coach.

"You could just see him growing as the season went on. His understanding of protections. Some guys would say, 'Wait a minute, I’m going somewhere else. He didn’t name me the coordinator.’ Now, he’s going to be the coordinator. Now, he’s going to call plays. That loyalty and that patience is going to pay off, and I think he’s going to be the best coordinator in the country.”

Brian Hartline has progressed through the ranks at Ohio State. He started as a graduate assistant (2017), wide receivers coach (2018), and passing game coordinator (2021). He was named the offensive coordinator in 2023 but took a step back to co-offensive coordinator when Chip Kelly joined from the UCLA Bruins.