Brian Hartline discusses how he got into coaching, his mindset

Brian Hartline may not have always wanted to get into coaching, but he’s now become one of the top assistants in all of the nation.

The former Ohio State wide receiver turned Buckeyes offensive coordinator joined the crew over at Barstool Sports’ Bussin with the Boys to give some insight into how his coaching venture began, where he elaborated on the fact that it certainly wasn’t originally in the cards for him.

“It was kind of good, I was living back in Columbus,” explained Hartline, speaking of his time before coaching. “My brother was coaching off the field for Coach [Urban] Meyer. There was a fad there for a little bit, where former players would come back and run scout team. They kind of nixed that, but I remember when Clemson had some guys doing it. They talked me into doing it. Bobby Carpenter was doing it. So we had some guys come back, and my brother talked me into it while I was here. I was kind of coaching up the guys, and Terry McLaurin was here, and Parris Campbell, some of the guys.

“I think Coach [Greg] Schiano, who was our defensive coordinator at the time, kind of got wind of that as I was over there. He said, ‘Man, I think you’ve got to hire Coach Hart.’ I heard this story after the fact. So Coach Meyer was like, ‘Hey Hart, I’d love to have you as a coach.’ Absolutely not. I was like, ‘Appreciate the offer, that’s not happening.’ And then that was in bowl prep in ’16. Then we kind of reconnected at one point, February spring ball in ’17 and he gave me that opportunity again, and I just kind of felt like you know, God was giving me a chance to right a wrong. I didn’t have much going on at the time, I was like, ‘Man, I’m living up the street, let’s see what this coaching thing is all about. Never left since. That’s exactly how it happened.”

While Hartline’s venture into coaching was unconventional, he now commands one of the most impressive receiving rooms in the country, as well as manning their offense after his promotion. However, it’s easy for him, as he simply let’s his players be themselves.

“The room is full of elite dudes,” stated Hartline. “I’m not sure about operate anything, it’s more like, trying to pick the right guys that fit what we want to get done. Then the boys come in, and kind of let it turn into what it’s going to turn into.

“I help guide the room, but those guys, Marvin [Harrison Jr.], Mek (Emeka Egbuka), Julian [Fleming], all those guys run that room. Xavier Johnson. Like, I keep it on the tracks, but they run the show.”

Ohio State has a great one in Brian Hartline, and who knows how far he can go with his coaching career. It’ll be fascinating to keep an eye on him as the years go by, as he’s simply brimming with potential moving forward.