Brian Hartline gives his approach to being an offensive coordinator

For the second straight offseason, Brian Hartline got a promotion. The former Ohio State standout added passing game coordinator to his role as Buckeyes wide receivers coach last year and is now moving up to offensive coordinator — perhaps also taking on play-calling duties, depending on what Ryan Day decides to do.

It’s a big adjustment for Hartline, widely considered one of the rising star coaches in college football. He knows his mentality has to change, as well, as he goes from overseeing one position group to the entire offense.

He’s ready.

“I think sometimes, coaching receivers — I’m blessed with a great room. What I used to say coaching’s the last thing I do,” Hartline said. “I would say being offensive coordinator is putting your fingerprint on things that you find more important than others.

“At the end of the day, you have allocation of time. How you allocate that time, you have a list of plays and schemes and what you find in [an] ‘A’ play vs. a ‘B’ play and a ‘C’ play. That becomes probably more of your identity, that’s probably your responsibility. I think that being able to enhance the people around you. My job as a receiver coach is to get the best out of the receivers. My job as offensive coordinator is to maximize each guy in that room, each coach in that room for what they’re capable of. That doesn’t change in the grand scheme. But maybe the dynamics within the groups maybe are a little different.”

Brian Hartline says he is ‘pretty comfortable’ he could call plays right now

Day has largely handled the play-calling duties since taking over as the Buckeyes’ head coach, but that task could fall to Hartline if Day decides to give it up, as On3 and Lettermen Row’s Tim May reported.

When asked if he would feel comfortable doing so, Hartline was confident he would do well. The offensive pieces Ohio State has at its disposal rivals anyone in the country.

“Pretty comfortable just because of the surrounding party that I have,” Hartline said. “I think Coach Day has always done it at an elite level. We’ve always produced, from a production standpoint offensively, at an elite level. But the support staff I have around me really empowers me. My confidence comes from having them. So, I would be very confident.”