‘A No-Brainer’: Jeremiah Smith on Why He Chose Ohio State, Brian Hartline’s WR Factory; Buckeye Blueprint: Inside Ohio State’s NIL and development pitch to 2026 recruits
Currently there is a major focus on whether Brian Hartline will receive and accept a head coaching offer from a major university program.
A recent Jeremiah Smith interview greatly boosts Hartline's appeal to other universities, especially those interested in developing their own "WR factory."
“Coach Hartline is a special, special coach in my eyes,” said Smith of Hartline. “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.”
https://www.si.com/college-football/why-jeremiah-smith-chose-ohio-state-brian-hartline
Smith also emphasized the appeal of Ohio State's wide receiver "brotherhood," including Ohio State alums in the NFL. Hartline might have to develop that culture at another university, which may be difficult to accomplish as a head coach and not full-time wide receiver coach.
Smith also credits current Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, who played alongside him and Egbuka last season, for his development as a player.
“Carnell has meant a lot to me,” Smith explained. “Especially last year, my freshman year. He played a big help in the season that I had last year, because coming in as a freshman, you think you know everything, but you don’t. So you always need them older guys to help you with everything on the football field ... So him and Emeka have been a big help of mines.”
Off the field, the Buckeyes’ wide receiver lineage—a “brotherhood,” Smith calls it—remains in close contact, making it a point to remain in touch even with their busy schedules.
“There’s a relationship there. ... Them guys always reach out to coach Hartline to talk with us,” he explained. “Even them guys reach out on social media after a big game that you have, they always reach out to say, ‘Congrats, keep going,’ this, that and the third. So them guys, they don't always get a chance, you know, they’re in the NFL, so they don’t get the chance to come back, [but when they do], they always come back.”
NCAA head coaching success in the future will depend on a school's ability to compensate recruits/players. The emergence of NIL was a major reason for
Nick Saban's decision to retire from Alabama.
Now head coaches must worry not only about a school's NIL competitiveness, but also about revenue sharing. Very few universities will compete with Ohio State's revenue sharing capability.
https://www.ncsasports.org/blog/what-is-ncaa-revenue-sharing
This article discusses Ohio State's football recruiting and NIL "blueprint."
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/buckeye-blueprint-inside-ohio-state-140100733.html
Rarely mentioned is that a key to Ohio State's wide receiver success is above average QBs with accurate passing capabilities. While Hartline clearly is a WR "whisperer," Ryan Day also is a QB whisperer.
Ohio State also has developed a reputation as a secondary mecca, so its wide receivers and secondary players benefit for "iron-on-iron" practicing development.
Obviously, much of Ohio State's recruiting attraction and competitive success is attributable to a highly skilled staff of assistant coaches relative to most universities.
Ryan Day recognizes that superb assistant coaches are a key to success as much as coordinators.
Day also believes co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Tim Walton, associate head coach and defensive line coach Larry Johnson, passing game coordinator and safeties coach Matt Guerrieri and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, who were all a part of last year’s staff with Knowles, deserve substantial credit for their roles in Ohio State’s continued defensive success.
Hartline's uccess as a head coach at another university will extend well beyond his superb ability to recruit and train wide receivers.
Posted Nov 1, 2025, 1:15 PM UTC