Buckeyes OC Brian Hartline named head coach at South Florida

Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline has been named South Florida’s new head coach, the school announced Wednesday.

Hartline agreed to a six-year contract and is expected to stay with the Buckeyes for the remainder of the postseason, sources told ESPN.

“Becoming a head coach for the first time at a place like USF is a dream come true for me and my family. I look forward to leading the team to new heights, on and off the field,” Hartline said in a statement.

Hartline, who has been picky about jobs throughout his career, replaces Alex Golesh, who accepted the head coaching job at Auburn. South Florida is set to move into a new on-campus stadium in 2027, a key investment to unlock a program that has long carried more promise than results.

Hartline, 38, is a former star wide receiver at Ohio State. After a seven-year NFL career with Miami and Cleveland, Hartline embarked on his coaching career, eventually moving into the role of offensive coordinator and playmaker this season for the top-ranked Buckeyes.

Known for being one of the top wide receiver recruiters in the country, Hartline has developed five first-round picks at wide receiver for the Buckeyes since 2022, making the school a destination for the nation’s top talent at the position. This season, Hartline and Ohio State boast what are considered the best crop of wide receivers in the country this season, including Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.

The wide receivers that Hartline groomed during his time at Ohio State include all five of OSU’s first-round picks — Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave, Emeka Egbuka, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Garrett Wilson. All were picked in the top 20. He also recruited and developed Jameson Williams, who went to Alabama before becoming a first-round pick. Other notables include Terry McLaurin, Parris Campbell and KJ Hill.

“Brian Hartline was clearly our first choice to lead our football program into the most exciting era in program history, and I am so excited to have him lead the Bulls,” USF athletics CEO Rob Higgins said in a statement. “A fierce recruiter, exceptional talent developer and fierce competitor, he comes from a championship background and is obsessed with instilling championship excellence in his players and teams. He is ready to take our program to the next level. He knows Florida State, having spent six seasons of his professional playing career at Miami, and has successfully recruited the state and the [Tampa] Bay Area for a long time.”

In his first year of play, Hartline helped OSU play exemplary complementary football. The Buckeyes have the nation’s best defense, and the offense is ranked in the top 25 as the nation’s No. 1 team prepares to take on No. 2 Indiana in the Big Ten title game Saturday in Indianapolis.

OSU brought in quarterback Julian Sayin to become a Heisman Trophy favorite in his first year as a starter, as he completed 78.9 percent of his passes for 30 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

This is the first notable hire for USF athletic director Rob Higgins, who was brought on in September and outlined an aggressive vision for the future of USF football.