There’s just something about that team up north that Brian Hartline can’t stand. You can take the man out of Columbus, but you can’t take that Ohio State wiring out of him. So there he was, the new head coach at South Florida, trying to rally Bulls Nation for a women’s lacrosse game at Corbett Stadium. It was standard coaching stuff until it slipped.

“Our women’s lacrosse team takes on Michigan, which we know we don’t like,” Brian Hartline said in his promo video. “At 1 p.m., we need Bulls Nation to show up, show out, and bring their spirit. Let’s do a great job supporting these ladies. Go Bulls!”

Maybe it was intentional or a mistake out of habit, but it’s still a reminder that Michigan remains his No. 1 villain even at USF. He’s injecting that animosity into a brand-new matchup, as this weekend marks the first-ever meeting between the USF and Michigan lacrosse programs.

As Brian Hartline demonstrates, the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry leaves a lasting impression on both fan bases and those involved in the game. You’ve seen the flag planting, you’ve heard head coach Ryan Day describe losing “the Game” as one of the worst things that’s happened to him, you’ve watched Ohio State finally snap that four-game skid with a 27-9 thumping in Ann Arbor last November. And Brian Hartline has been a huge part of it all, even before he donned the coaching role. 

As a player at Ohio State from 2005 to 2008, Brian Hartline never lost to Michigan. He went 4-0 with four straight Big Ten titles and two BCS title game appearances. Beating the Wolverines was already ingrained in his DNA because, as a coach, he’s 3-2 overall against them. He was calling plays in that 27-9 win in 2025, with his offense averaging 37 points per game that season. However, his anti-Michigan resume goes beyond box scores.

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In 2023, before a hockey showdown between Ohio State and Michigan men’s ice hockey at Cleveland’s FirstEnergy Stadium, Brian Hartline grabbed a maize-and-blue guitar and smashed it as part of an ongoing trend. The Buckeyes won 4-2 that night. 

That same year, on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast, he was asked if he could beat Michigan RBs coach Mike Hart in a fight. He said he could take “any offensive coordinator-type.”

Regardless, the one certain thing here is that Brian Hartline is bringing his winning pedigree to his new home, South Florida, and that is exactly the kind of edge USF is betting on as he tries to turn their luck around.

Brian Hartline sees the potential in South Florida

Right before Ohio State’s Big Ten Championship Game, Brian Hartline left to become the head coach at USF after just one season as the sole OC. The Buckeyes pivoted to Arthur Smith as OC and Cortez Hankton at WRs. But the 39-year-old was chasing something bigger.

“The ultimate vision of being able to win consistently and chase championships wherever I’m at was very, very important,” he said in an interview with Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman. “I felt like it was here and attainable at USF.”

Brian Hartline is not wrong to bet on that geography, as South Florida is a recruiting gold mine. It’s not like he’ll get every 5-star kid, but you don’t need every jewel in the crown. You just need enough. Look at what he’s already done.

Hartline hit the ground running, completely overhauling the roster in his first six weeks. He masterfully worked the transfer portal to bring in 41 players—building the top-ranked G5 portal class and adding 13 former 4/5-star recruits to a returning group of 53 players.

The USF head coach is miles away from Columbus now, but if he’s able to couple that rivalry-fueled edge with the roster overhaul he’s already engineered, the Bulls’ new era might start showing up on Saturdays. Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below.