Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, who was recently mentioned as a potential candidate for Kentucky, has been named head coach at South Florida.
Here is a press release from USF Athletics:
TAMPA, FLA., DEC. 3, 2025 – University of South Florida CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins has announced the selection of Brian Hartline, widely considered one of college football’s rising coaching stars and one of the nation’s outstanding recruiters, as the seventh head coach of South Florida Football.
Hartline has been an integral part of Ohio State University’s run of dominance which has seen the Buckeyes win the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship, post a 37-4 record the last three seasons and stand as the No. 1-ranked team in the latest CFP rankings. Hartline, who is in his third season coordinating the Buckeyes’ offense, has been nationally recognized for his work as wide receivers coach and helped Ohio State post a 92-11 (89%) record in his eight seasons as a member of the full-time coaching staff while being part of eight Big Ten Championship teams as a coach and player. A former standout receiver for Ohio State, he spent seven seasons playing in the NFL, including six with the Miami Dolphins, before returning to his alma mater to coach.
“Brian Hartline was our clear-cut first choice to lead our football program into the most exciting era in program history, and I am so fired up to have him leading the Bulls,” Higgins said. “A relentless recruiter, outstanding developer of talent and a gritty competitor, he comes from a championship background and is obsessed with instilling championship excellence in his players and teams. He is ready to lead our program to the next level. He knows the state of Florida, having spent six seasons of his professional playing career in Miami, and has successfully recruited the state and the Bay area for a long time. We are so excited to welcome Brian, his wife Kara and their children Brayden, Kameron and Brooklyn to the Bulls family.”
Hartline will coach the Buckeyes in Saturday’s Big Ten Championship game against Indiana (8 p.m./FOX) before being introduced to Bulls Nation and media. Details on the event, which will be open to the public, will be forthcoming.
As offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach, Hartline has led the 2025 Ohio State offense to rank No. 13 in the nation in scoring (37.0 ppg), No. 24 in total offense (438.5 ypg) and No. 24 in passing (267.0 ypg) with Heisman Trophy candidate Julian Sayin posting 3,065 passing yards and 30 touchdowns and Biletnikoff Trophy finalist Jeremiah Smith posting 55 catches for 725 yards and nine touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has Ohio State as the highest graded offense in the nation at the end of the 2025 regular season.
Serving as co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach in 2024, Hartline led the Buckeye offense to rank No. 14 nationally in scoring (35.7 ppg) and No. 3 in pass efficiency (171.55) with quarterback Will Howard ranking No. 6 in passing yards (4,010) and No. 4 in passing touchdowns (35) and Smith standing No. 4 in receiving yards (1,315) and No. 2 in receiving touchdowns (15) nationally.
A major part of Ohio State’s recruiting success, Hartline has helped the Buckeyes’ current 2026 signing class rank No. 5 in the nation according to 247Sports. Ohio State has ranked among the top five recruiting classes in the nation in each of the last seven seasons. He was named 247Sports national recruiter of the year in 2020.
“Coach Brian Hartline is a proven winner who has experienced success at the highest levels of college football,” said USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford. “He shares our vision for winning championships, developing student-athletes and providing them with a world-class experience and positioning our university on the national stage. We could not be more excited to bring Brian and his family to Tampa Bay and for him to lead the next chapter of USF Football. Our best days are ahead!”
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Brian Hartline and his family to the University of South Florida,” said USF President Rhea Law. “His championship-level experience aligns perfectly with our commitment to excellence with our football program. We look forward to building on our momentum and reaching even greater success under Coach Hartline’s leadership.”
Hartline was twice named the top wide receivers coach in college football, earning the honor from On3 in 2022 and from FootballScoop in 2021. In 2019, he was recognized by the American Football Coaches Association as one of its AFCA 35 Under 35 honorees, a prestigious program that develops “premier, future leaders” in the coaching profession.
In Hartline’s nine seasons on the Ohio State staff, including serving the 2017 season as a quality control coach, he successfully recruited and mentored some of the best wide receivers in the nation. Included among them are 2023 Biletnikoff Award winner and Heisman Trophy finalist Marvin Harrison Jr. who became the first two-time All-American receiver in Ohio State’s storied history, twice earning unanimous honors (2022 and 2023). Harrison Jr. was named the 2023 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, a two-time wide receiver of the year in the Big Ten Conference, and set the school record with 15 100-yard receiving games.
Harrison was selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft with the fourth overall pick. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka was selected in the first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2025 NFL Draft after posting 1,011 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns for the Buckeyes in 2024.
Wide receivers Chris Olave (2021), Garrett Wilson (2021) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (second-team in 2021) were all named All-Americans under Hartline’s watch. Olave set the Ohio State career record with 35 touchdown receptions. Remarkably in 2021, Smith-Njigba, Wilson and Olave all finished in the Ohio State single season top 10 rankings for receptions and yards. Olave, Wilson, Smith-Njigba and Jameson Williams, who spent two seasons with Ohio State before transferring for one season at Alabama, were all first-round NFL Draft picks.
