Ohio State reportedly promoting Brian Hartline to replace Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator
The former Buckeyes wide receiver has been on staff since 2017 and was the team's offensive coordinator in 2023
Ohio State is staying in-house for its next offensive coordinator.
According to CBS Sports, the Buckeyes are set to make co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline the offensive coordinator again. He will take over for Chip Kelly after the former Oregon and UCLA coach left to take the same job with the Las Vegas Raiders. Kelly spent just one season in Columbus as Ohio State bounced back from two regular-season losses to win the national title in the first 12-team College Football Playoff.
Was trending this way for a couple of days now. Big OC opening filled. https://t.co/caTmKz2ZE9
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) February 5, 2025
Hartline is a former Ohio State wide receiver and Ohio native who has spent eight seasons on OSU’s coaching staff. He’s worked his way up from quality control coach before taking over as the team’s interim wide receivers coach in 2018 when assistant Zach Smith was fired following allegations of domestic abuse. The Smith situation led to a three-game suspension for then-coach Urban Meyer for the way Meyer handled accusations against Smith in 2015.
Hartline was named the team’s passing game coordinator in 2022 and served as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2023, though coach Ryan Day was the team’s primary play-caller. After Ohio State went 11-2 in 2023 — and lost a third straight time to Michigan — Day stepped back from play-calling duties and hired Kelly from UCLA to run the offense.
Ohio State will enter the 2025 season with new coordinators on both sides of the ball after defensive coordinator Jim Knowles took the same job at Penn State as the highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football. The Buckeyes' offense will have a new quarterback after Will Howard’s departure, will need to replace both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins in the backfield and WR Emeka Egbuka is also out of eligibility.
Star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith returns for his sophomore season in 2025 and the favorite to start at QB is former five-star recruit Julian Sayin. Ohio State has also added former West Virginia RB CJ Donaldson via the transfer portal.
The news of Hartline’s promotion comes on the same day Ohio State reportedly moved to hire Virginia Tech’s Tyler Bowen as the team’s new offensive line coach. Bowen served as the offensive coordinator for the past three seasons with the Hokies.