Brian Hartline: “In order to be a great receiver, there’s only one page – it’s the quarterbacks page. Everything is based off them.” (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Brian Hartline’s maturation (and hoped-for success) as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and play caller depends a ton on how much the quarterbacks prepare themselves to be ready for Texas.
Columbus, OH – Brian Hartline brings a wide receiver perspective to his job. But he didn’t require a promotion to offensive coordinator and play caller to learn why the quarterback is the most important player on the field.
When he says, “it’s all about quarterback play,” like he did Monday at the start of the final week of spring practice, he’s not just echoing what everyone knows about modern football. Like everything else Hartline says, he said it with conviction and transparency.
He said it like he’s always believed it. And there’s no reason to doubt he hasn’t.
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Hartline – the Ohio State wide receiver whisperer and five-star recruiter – learned a long time ago – catching passes from Troy Smith, Todd Boeckman and Terrelle Pryor – whose preparation and decision-making matters most.
Hartline is firmly in the middle of quarterback discussions as the staff evaluates and forms opinions about who should be the starter when the Buckeyes open the season at home against Texas.
But Hartline isn’t the quarterbacks coach. That job belongs to Billy Fessler. Hartline isn’t the quarterback whisperer. That distinction belongs to Ryan Day. Hartline knows his place when it comes to coaching up the quarterbacks. But he also knows his place as the coordinator of all things offensive and how practice must translate to the games for all 11.
“In order to be a great receiver, there’s only one page – it’s the quarterbacks page,” Hartline said. “Everything is based off them.”
The best coaches understand how each position and every dynamic work together. When Urban Meyer’s quarterbacks were criticized, he talked about the importance for the other 10 players to play well to give the quarterback a chance.
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Hartline – lest you think he’s just a wide receiver guy – understands the meshing of all 11.
“Whether it be their progression, their timing, the stresses they have, is what we’re trying to minimize,” Hartline said. “If you don’t fully understand quarterback play, it’s hard to maximize receiver play.”
And so it goes with line play and running back play.
Day will, of course, makes the final call on which quarterback will start against Texas. But it’s Hartline’s job, because he’s the play caller, to know what Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin and Tavien St. Clair do best.
One of the QB candidates…junior-to-be Lincoln Kienholz (above), versus Missouri in the 2023 Cotton Bowl.
That’s why when last Saturday’s scrimmage was live and the quarterbacks were allowed to be hit, Hartline was all for it. He got to see more of what they can do when the heat is on. And, he said, he will always cast a vote for going live.
“If I’m a quarterback, I’m asking to be live so I can show how I’m different,” Hartline said. “You’re always trying to find an edge. And if you’re never fully live, I don’t think you fully give guys opportunity to be who they want to be or who they can be.”
Day’s going live decision was different for each quarterback. He wanted St. Clair, a true freshman, to feel the speed of the college game. He wanted Kienholz, who played most of the Cotton Bowl two years ago, to remember game speed as opposed to practice speed. And he wanted Sayin to get more of a taste of game speed than he got last season in some late-game appearances when he mostly handed off.
“When you’re standing there as a quarterback, and you’re live, that’s just a whole different feel,” Day said. “Probably the hardest thing for a young quarterback to understand is standing in the pocket, when to stand in there, when to slide and create, when to escape. And if you’re not live, it’s really hard to replicate that.”
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Hartline, who says the quarterbacks are on a good trajectory, is learning that each of them understands the importance of studying the game. They must come to practice ready to execute that day’s assignments, and he’s seeing that happen.
“If you’re not willing to spend your own time getting prepared for practice to maximize one’s ability, there’s a good chance you’re not going to maximize your ability,” Hartline said. “Their ability to notice that they need to spend extra time outside the allotted time, is critical. And the amount that it takes, I guess I was maybe a little naive to. But the guys are doing a great job.”
Day’s observations are that Kienholz and Sayin are neck and neck in the race to be the starter. He said St. Clair has the longest way to go to win that job because of his inexperience. St. Clair’s arm talent and mobility were evident Saturday, and he could wow the fans this Saturday in the spring game. But wow plays and flashes of great talent are only a slice of what Day will notice on Saturday and beyond.
“We’ve seen them make the spectacular,” he said. “We need them to make routine plays and be consistent. Sometimes that can be boring, but that’s playing the position of quarterback, and all it takes is one or two plays to ruin your entire day.”
All three will play Saturday. And just like Kienholz got the best reviews from outside observers this past Saturday, one of them will likely stand out to Saturday’s crowd in the Horseshoe.
But no decisions are likely to be made in April. Gut feelings might emerge, but it won’t be until August when Day walks into a weekly press conference and announces the next starting quarterback at Ohio State. And, based on what he said Monday, he will be confident in the one he anoints.
“We’ll feel good,” he said about how he expects to feel after the spring game. “We’ll feel great? I don’t know. We’ll have to see how Tuesday and Saturday goes, but I think we’ll definitely feel good coming out of there. We’ve got good players, and I think the guys believe that they can do it.”
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