Ohio State offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline is leaving Columbus after the season to become the next head coach at South Florida, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Hartline, 39, has become the heartbeat of the Buckeyes’ offense since joining their staff in 2017, overseeing the development of countless elite wide receivers—including five first-round picks over the last three NFL drafts.
Among the next ones up? Jeremiah Smith, who is among the nation’s top pass catchers and is currently tied for the Big Ten lead in touchdowns this season with 11. He’s hauled in 72 passes for 942 yards over the course of Ohio State's 12–0 regular season.
After news of Hartline’s departure dropped on Wednesday morning, Smith posted a simple, two-word message on his X (formerly Twitter) account:
“Love Coach.”
Love Coach 🤞🏾 pic.twitter.com/59GGPJhkzO
— Jeremiah Smith (@Jermiah_Smith1) December 3, 2025
“Coach Hartline is a special, special coach in my eyes,” Smith told Sports Illustrated of Hartline back in October. “He develops first-round talent year in and year out. He pushes us each and every day to be the best version of ourselves. Coach is somebody I want[ed] to be coached by in college. He just has everything that you wanna learn at the college level and he’s gonna teach you things about the pros as well ... Coach Hartline does a good job with us each and every day, can’t thank him enough for that.”
Clearly, Hartline’s promotion is much deserved.
The Buckeyes are set to take on Indiana in the Big Ten championship game this coming Saturday before finding out on Sunday where they’ll slot into the 2025 College Football Playoff.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith Had Two-Word Message for Brian Hartline After USF News.
