What Brian Hartline's exit means for Ohio State Buckeyes moving forward

Ohio State's offensive coordinator, Brian Hartline, is expected to accept the South Florida head coaching position. This development holds significant implications for the Buckeyes as they move forward.

Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline laughs after hearing jeers as he walks onto the field prior to the NCAA football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The college football coaching carousel has been chaotic over the past 72 hours, and it finally reached Ohio State early Wednesday morning.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is expected to become the next coach at South Florida.

Sources: Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is expected to become the next coach at South Florida. He’s OSU’s play caller and built a reputation as the country’s top developer of wide receivers. pic.twitter.com/U0227G4LDo

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 3, 2025

South Florida lost head coach Alex Golesh on Sunday after he accepted the head coaching role at Auburn.

Hartline began his career on Ohio State's staff in 2017 as a wide receivers quality control coach. Since then, he has steadily progressed and is now serving as co-offensive coordinator this season.

The one thing Hartline excels at is developing receivers, which is an aspect the Buckeyes will genuinely miss. However, Ohio State is accustomed to losing its top assistant coaches each year, given that it’s one of the premier programs in the country.

As long as Ryan Day remains the head coach and oversees the offense, Ohio State will be in a good position. Every fan should trust that Day can bring in a new offensive coordinator who will do an excellent job, much like Hartline did.

The silver lining in Hartline's departure to South Florida is that it's a Group of Five school. This means Ohio State won’t likely have to worry about losing its receivers and other talented offensive players to the Bulls.

Hartline is one of the top recruiters at Ohio State, so the Buckeyes need to find someone who can connect with high school players like Hartline did and encourage them to commit to Ohio State.

It always seemed like Hartline was preparing to become a head coach over the last few seasons, and now he finally has the opportunity to lead a solid college football program.

However, Hartline still has more work to do for Ohio State before he becomes 100% officially the head coach of South Florida. The Buckeyes may have a few more games left on their schedule, starting this week with the Big Ten Championship and possibly a postseason run.

As of Wednesday morning, there has been no official announcement regarding whether Hartline will continue as the Buckeyes' offensive coordinator for the remainder of the season. It's rare for a coordinator to depart right before the postseason; they generally finish their responsibilities at their current school before leaving for their new school.

Oregon's offensive coordinator, Will Stein, accepted the head coaching position at Kentucky on Monday but will continue to coach the Ducks throughout the postseason. Hartline will likely follow a similar path with Ohio State.

It will be interesting to see how Hartline balances two roles as Ohio State's offensive coordinator and head coach at USF over the next month and a half. If anyone can pull it off, it's likely him.