By Matt Baker, Cameron Teague Robinson and Chris Vannini
South Florida is targeting Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline to be its next head coach, sources briefed on the process said Wednesday.
Hartline would replace Alex Golesh, who was hired to be Auburn’s head coach Sunday. He is expected to continue coaching at Ohio State through the College Football Playoff.
Hartline, 39, is a former Ohio State receiver who has been on the Buckeyes staff since 2017 and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 2009. He has been Ohio State’s wide receivers coach since 2018 and added the offensive coordinator title in 2023, but did not have play-calling duties until this season.
Hartline played an important role in helping head coach Ryan Day build the Buckeyes’ offense into what it is now. While the offense is the brainchild of Day, Hartline’s ability to recruit and develop elite receivers has been unmatched around the country.
His south Florida ties helped him land Jeremiah Smith, the No. 1 player in the 2024 class, as well as five-star Brandon Inniss and even Carnell Tate, who is from Chicago but played high school football at IMG Academy. Hartline’s success runs beyond just Florida, though. He also brought along NFL receivers Terry McLaurin, Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, among others. Ohio State has had a receiver drafted in the first round in each of the last four seasons and would likely push that streak to five if Tate declares after this season.
Beyond the current team, Hartline’s departure comes at a time when Ohio State is planning to sign four receivers to its 2026 recruiting class, most notably five-star California receiver Chris Henry Jr. Henry, who has been heavily pursued by USC and Oregon, has not signed with Ohio State as of 10 a.m.
USF is regarded as one of the top Group of 5 programs but one that’s still trying to realize its potential in a major market (Tampa) teeming with talent. The Bulls have never played for a conference championship and have only finished in the Top 25 nationally twice. The program won only four games from 2020 to 2022 under Jeff Scott before Golesh turned the Bulls around. Golesh went 23-15 over his three seasons and earned the Auburn job by putting USF (9-3) in the American Conference championship picture this fall.
Next week, South Florida’s board of trustees is expected to authorize an internal loan of up to $22.5 million to athletics to help the Bulls fund revenue-sharing payments to players. The Bulls’ 35,000-seat on-campus football stadium is under construction and set to open in 2027. USF also formally opened its long-awaited indoor practice facility in the first few weeks of Golesh’s tenure.
