After all those years of molding the Buckeyes’ receiving corps into perhaps the most feared ones in college football, the university officially named Brian Hartline the offensive coordinator for the 2025 season. That’s the second time in three years. But now, it’s not title-only; he’s got the keys and will be calling the plays himself, a big change from past seasons where Ryan Day or Chip Kelly called the shots. Hartline’s development as a coach, particularly while serving as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, made him ideal for this opportunity.

For instance, in the spring game, Hartline was in complete charge—no Day on the headset—and the offense rewarded him with a 50-31 victory over the Gray defense right in front of 40,136 fans. The interesting thing is how Hartline’s coaching style, particularly his honesty and player-centric attitude, has resonated with the team at large. “He has credibility. He’s got confidence. He’s handled situations well,” Day said about Hartline’s involvement in headset conversations during games.

Additionally, he has already created ripples in recruiting. He was a key factor in getting Jeremiah Smith on board. The player burst onto the recruiting scene as a freshman and helped Ohio State to a national championship. Brian Hartline needed to play his part very cautiously for that to happen. And so, Zach Smith presented an explicit examination of Hartline’s function this season on the latest episode of Menace 2 Sports on May 23. He was asked. “What do you think Brian Hartline’s priority is right now? Getting Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham ready to play or completely maximizing Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate?”

Zach explained, “Well, he’s got to do both, and that’s why he has Devin Jordans [Assistant WR Coach] of the world to help him. It’s harder than being a running back coach for sure, where you’re coaching like one guy.” The arrival of Quincy Porter is a top headline—a freshman who’s not only making waves but is also breaking into the discussion for actual playing time this season. Jeremiah Smith, last season’s breakout freshman, even referred to Porter as “the next one up.” That’s not a responsibility that the Buckeye receiver corps hands out lightly.

Hartline’s work at Ohio State, particularly when you contrast it with coaching a running back, is much larger. Wide receivers coaching at a program like Ohio State is an entirely different beast—you’re not just dealing with one or two players; you’re managing a crowded deep room full of high-profile talent with unique personalities, skill sets, and expectations. Hartline’s got to do it all: Create the next star and maintain the entire unit at an elite level. That’s why having veteran assistants such as Devin Jordan matters so much. Jordan, a former Buckeye himself, assists with the day-to-day coaching, individual drills, and mentoring, freeing Hartline up to be able to concentrate on the big picture—game planning, recruiting, and now, as offensive coordinator, managing the entire offense.

“I just shade at the position I used to with Tony Alfred all the time, like, dude, what your job is so easy; why do they pay you that much? You coach one guy. It’s similar to the quarterback. I mean, you got to develop backups, or you end up with a freshman in the bowl game against Missouri,” Zach stated. Running backs typically have only one featured guy who sees most of the carries. But Hartline is used to juggling an entire crew of star players as the wide receivers coach, which creates a stark difference.

You can’t only cultivate your starter and neglect the backups. If you do, you expose yourself to a nightmare situation, such as that of Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl at Missouri, when a freshman had to fill in because the depth chart wasn’t ready. Instantly, the entire season can come down to whether your backups are ready.

Julian Sayin’s rookie challenge

While Brian Hartline is more than ready to step in and head up Ohio State’s offense, Ryan Day, who just guided Ohio State to a national title, views the team as looking completely different. With some of the key leaders gone, such as Will Howard at QB, Julian Sayin, a player with all the talent in the world but not a lot of experience in big games, is ready to step into his role. Sayin isn’t merely replacing a sure hand; he’s being asked to execute an offense full of NFL-level receivers such as Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. The worry?

Sayin never truly experienced the ups and downs of a full-year college campaign, much less the pressure situations that are part and parcel of being Ohio State’s QB1. Experts are openly questioning whether he’s ready for the jump, especially with a brutal early test against Texas and their stacked front seven.

Texas isn’t going to make life easy; they’ll be gunning for him, and he won’t get many easy outs throwing to his superstar receivers. And it’s not just about Sayin’s arm talent. The chemistry with his receivers, his ability to handle adversity, and how he adapts to Hartline’s play-calling will all be under scrutiny. But if things go sideways early, what is the backup plan? Can Hartline adjust his offense to build his quarterback’s confidence, or is it a run game and see from there?

For Sayin, it’s not about talent: He has to build chemistry with receivers, become comfortable with Hartline’s play-calling, and show he can respond to adversity. The Buckeyes’ offense likely will try to ease him in with some quick throws and a strong run game, but eventually, he will have to make big-time plays against elite defenses. What do you think?