Brian Hartline to call plays in Ohio State football spring practices

On Feb 2, 2023

Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline, who was recently promoted to offensive coordinator, will call plays at times during spring practice as coach Ryan Day mulls turning over those responsibilities.

A final decision won’t be reached for at least a few months, following the 15 spring practices that are to be held in March and April.

“We’ll come up for air at the end of spring,” Day said Wednesday, “and figure out what that dynamic looks like going into the preseason and the season. We won’t decide any of that now, but will certainly give him an opportunity to call it this spring.”

As he replaces Kevin Wilson, who left for the head coaching job at Tulsa, Hartline has no experience serving as a primary play-caller. The fast-rising 36-year-old assistant was not a full-time position coach until he joined Day’s staff in 2019, a season after he was the interim receivers coach.

But Day sees the potential delegation of play-calling as part of an effort to better juggle his responsibilities as he leads the program moving forward.

“During the offseason, it’s no problem at all,” Day said. “Beginning of the season, it’s pretty good. As we get to the middle, end of the season, I feel like there are times where I have to manage my time a little better and make sure as a head coach there’s enough presence going around the building.

“So I’m trying to figure out how to best remedy that and make sure that I’m evaluating myself as the head coach the right way.”

More:Kirk Herbstreit: Ohio State coach Ryan Day might give up offensive play-calling in 2023

Since being named head coach in 2019, Day has continued to handle play-calling, one of his strengths that led athletic director Gene Smith to elevate him from offensive coordinator to succeed Urban Meyer.

The Buckeyes have had among the highest-scoring offenses in the nation throughout Day’s tenure, and their average of 44.2 points per game last fall ranked No. 2 behind only Tennessee among the 131 teams within the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Day said he hopes a series of game-like environments at practices could prepare Hartline as he tries out the larger role with the offense.

“When are you really ready to call plays? I don’t know,” Day said. “When are you ready to be a parent? When are you ready to buy your first house? But you figure it out, you make mistakes and you learn. Now it’s time to really have an opportunity this spring and hopefully in the preseason to do those type of things.”

Day praised Hartline as the nation’s best wide receivers coach, a position on staff he will continue to hold alongside his role as coordinator, and saw the promotion as his next step in his development.

Hartline added passing game coordinator to his title last offseason, an opportunity that allowed him to expand his knowledge of pass protection and the run game, a step he saw as “critical” for himself.

“It’s not just carrying a title, I don’t believe,” Hartline said. “It’s more than that. As you continue to build with any profession, more responsibilities and how you handle those responsibilities, how those fingers reach outside those responsibilities you’re technically supposed to have, really just show your growth potential. I like to think I did a good job of that.”

Five weeks before the Buckeyes begin spring practices, Hartline said he is eager for his shot at play-calling.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity in the spring,” Hartline said. “Just in general, the more opportunities we get the chance to play it as real as possible, for myself and young quarterbacks and everybody else, that serves everybody well.”

In addition to the possibility of Hartline serving as a first-time play-caller, the Buckeyes will be breaking in a new starting quarterback as Kyle McCord and Devin Brown, who were the backups last season, compete to replace C.J. Stroud behind center.