Old habits and feuds die hard. Within 24 hours of becoming South Florida’s new head coach, Brian Hartline’s old mentor-turned-rival stepped out of the shadows to clear the air once and for all.

On December 3, former Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith hopped onto X to settle the long-running tension after fans kept tagging him following Hartline’s USF hire. Smith decided to end the drama in one go:

“As is social media… I’m getting mentioned and tagged a lot, so let me bring some reality to your timeline. I inherited a WR room that was outside the Top 50 in college football. We had some young talent that would end up being LEGIT.”

If you don’t know the full story, here’s a quick trip down memory lane. Zach Smith was a solid-caliber receivers coach at Ohio State back when Brian Hartline was just a quality control analyst. He worked there from 2011/12 to 2018. Smith pulled in legit talent like Devin Smith, Michael “slant boy” Thomas, Curtis Samuel, and more.

However,  his time in Columbus ended in total disaster. In mid-2018, Smith was canned after his ex-wife exposed years of domestic abuse allegations that even had Urban Meyer suspended for days. Guess what happened next? Low-level staffer Brian took his job, setting the stage for years of assumed beef.

But according to Smith, there’s no grudge left to hold. In fact, he gave mad respect to Hartline for taking the role to the next level and making the Ohio State the official WRU (Wide Receivers University). Zach is genuinely proud of him and stresses that Hartline’s career and achievements stand on their own.

“I got fired. Hartline took over. Not only did I give him a room that was legit and loaded with incoming talent… he elevated it beyond anyone’s comprehension. All of that can be true… and is. His resume and career have been and is INSANE.”

Finally, Smith called out fans for trying to manufacture a rivalry that doesn’t exist.

“Jokes on YOU. No one is happier for him than me! but trying to make me vs. Hartline a thing is really sad.”

He made it clear he’s 100% rooting for Hartline at USF and isn’t entertaining any negativity. He even throws in a little South Florida pride and reminds everyone that positivity and support beat negativity. And then signed off with that’s my ‘public statement’ about Brian Hartline. That’s a class act from the former coach, backing his fellow coach while still being proud of his own contributions.

Brian Hartline era at South Florida

According to Yahoo Sports, Brian Hartline has agreed to a six-year deal to become the head coach at South Florida, unlike Lane Kiffin, he’ll still finish out the season with Ohio State during the playoffs. Hartline has been a major part of Ohio State’s offensive rise since 2017, helping develop some of the best receivers in the country, including Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith. Five of his wideouts have even gone in the first round of the NFL Draft over the last four years.

What he’s doing on-the-field is absurdly good. Ohio State is putting up 37 points per game heading into the Big Ten Championship against No. 2 Indiana, which ranks among the top offenses in the entire FBS. It’s one more strong chapter to add to Hartline’s résumé before he officially heads to Tampa.

South Florida, meanwhile, is in a great spot for a coach looking to build something big. The Bulls went 9-3 this season and were 23-15 under former coach Alex Golesh. With the school located in one of the most talent-rich areas in the country, plus a brand-new stadium on the way, USF has to be one of the best non–Power Four jobs, if not the best. It’s only a matter of time before you see him have a same level of rise as Alex Golesh.