Some things fly a little under the radar, and we have one for you that didn’t get a whole lot of play. It’s no secret that Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline is a rising young star in the coaching profession. He’s had a hand in developing some pretty special receivers in his short time in Columbus, and is worth his weight in gold with recruiting — recently being named 247Sports recruiter of the year.
But according to a report by Sports Illustrated, the Philadelphia Eagles looked at hiring Hartline away from Ohio State in January. It’s no secret that other college programs and even NFL teams will continue to be interested in the OSU assistant coach with what he’s done already, but we heard nothing about this at the turn of the year.
Here’s what Albert Breer says in his MMQ Column about the whole thing.
USC OC Graham Harrell was one college coach the Eagles looked at hiring in January. Here’s another: Ohio State receivers coach Brian Hartline. Philly pursued the ex-NFL receiver to help with the team’s passing game and coach its wideouts, which is another sign of how the Eagles looked at trying to add some outside-the-NFL influence to their mix. Hartline wound up deciding to remain in Columbus in 2020, but Philly wasn’t the only team to show interest in this rising coaching star, and this isn’t the first year it’s happened. The Colts, for one, looked hard at Hartline a couple years ago, too.
Success breeds opportunity. One of the things head coach Ryan Day will have to deal with is managing his coaching staff with all the job offers and movement that’s sure to occur as long as he continues to field teams capable of winning a national title.
We’ve already seen Jeff Hafley move on after one year, and the interest in Hartline isn’t going to go anywhere. Eventually you have to believe the former NFL receiver will move on to bigger and better things, but right now Ohio State is lucky to have him bringing in the groceries and making a gourmet dinner out of the wide-receiving prospects.
