The Ohio State Buckeyes football team appeared to dodge another bullet on Monday, December 1, as rumors circulated that offensive coordinator Brian Hartline was in talks to leave for the head coaching job at Kentucky. Instead, Kentucky chose Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein. After a whirlwind weekend filled with coaching drama and rapid-fire hiring and firing, Kentucky’s search lasted barely a day as they dismissed Mark Stoops and moved quickly to bring in Stein.
According to Pete Thamel, Stein will continue coaching Oregon through the rest of the season and into the College Football Playoff while simultaneously taking on his new role at Kentucky. This is especially intriguing, given that the early signing period is arriving on Wednesday and the transfer portal is set to open on January 3. A deep Oregon playoff run could shape Kentucky’s roster construction in ways that reverberate well beyond this week.
So how does this connect to Ohio State? Shortly after Kentucky fired Stoops on Sunday, On3’s Pete Nakos released an early list of potential candidates for the Wildcats’ job, and Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline was included. Nakos noted that Hartline has coached exclusively at his alma mater, but pointed out that his brother, Mike, played quarterback at Kentucky and recently served as an analyst there. Hartline is regarded as one of the nation’s top recruiters.
Many fans and analysts believe Hartline is likely to leave Columbus for a head coaching job at some point, so it was noteworthy to see him linked to Kentucky yet not ultimately chosen. Plenty of Ohio State fans are undoubtedly relieved to have Hartline fully focused on the upcoming Big Ten Championship against Indiana on Saturday and on preparing for a potential deep College Football Playoff run without the distractions of another program’s roster-building. This feels like a quietly significant development, and it will be interesting to see whether Ryan Day and Ohio State look to reward Hartline with a new contract this postseason if he decides to remain as offensive coordinator and if head coaching opportunities turn out to be limited or not the right fit.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.