USF hires Brian Hartline: Grading the Bulls’ surprising coaching move

During the early signing day in December of 2023, the number one player in the 2024 class, Jeremiah Smith, signed with Ohio State. It was a battle to the end as Ohio State had to fight Miami for Smith. Landing Jeremiah Smith was just one example of the impact Brian Hartline had while at Ohio State as a wide receivers coach.

Since he took over as Ohio State’s wide receivers coach in 2018, he has constantly recruited the best players at wide receiver to Columbus to play for Ohio State. It was reported today that Hartline has accepted the head coaching job at USF. As Brian Hartline was mentioned for much bigger jobs, it came as a surprise that USF was able to land him as their next head coach.

Recruiting Ability of Hartline

Hartline is an elite recruiter. He will do a great job recruiting talent to USF. I think his recruitment will go beyond wide receivers. He will be able to attack all positions at a high level. He could especially be lethal in Florida, where the talent is stacked in the state. He can go toe-to-toe against most coaches and out-recruit them because he is that elite of a recruiter.

The other part of this hire is that Hartline seems to enjoy recruiting. He attacks it at a high level. His ability to connect with players is outstanding.  Players at Ohio State enjoyed being coached by him.

Downsides of Hartline's hire

The biggest downside is his lack of experience. He has only been an offensive coordinator for 3 years, and he has only called plays this season. You never know how anyone will respond to being a head coach for the first time, but Hartline has the credentials to be successful.

He learned from Urban Meyer, one of the best coaches in College Football History. He also spent the last 7 years with Ryan Day as his top offensive assistant. These have been two great mentors for Hartline. The other mentor was last year's offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly, who seemed to mentor him and show him the ropes on how to call plays. Finally, this year, Hartline is calling plays for the Buckeyes, and they are undefeated. It is always a risk with any new head coach, but Hartline has learned a great deal while at Ohio State.

Final Grade for Hartline Hire: A

This is a slam dunk hire for USF. It's shocking that teams like Kentucky and Penn State never tried to hire him. Hartline has coached for one of the most consistent programs, so he has been groomed for this opportunity. Hartline has a chance to be a good football coach at USF.