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Michigan State football: 4 riskiest head coaching candidates

By Connor Muldowney

Sep 16, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline monitors warm-ups prior to the NCAA football game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Ohio Stadium.
Sep 16, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline monitors warm-ups prior to the NCAA football game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Ohio Stadium. /
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Sep 2, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline yells from the sideline during the second half of the NCAA football game at Indiana University Memorial Stadium. Ohio State won 23-3.
Sep 2, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline yells from the sideline during the second half of the NCAA football game at Indiana University Memorial Stadium. Ohio State won 23-3. /

Brian Hartline was a name that people raced to immediately when Mel Tucker was fired because he’s one of those shiny names in the coaching world. He is an excellent recruiter and now he’s in charge of an offense for a team that’s ranked in the top five in the country.

But is this Hartline agenda premature?

Probably, he’s in his first full season as offensive coordinator and seemingly anyone can recruit at an elite level at Ohio State. He does, however, convince the top receivers in the country to come to Columbus every cycle and he gets guy to the NFL. That’s a draw in itself and it would likely be enough to keep Nick Marsh in East Lansing, but is he head coach material yet?

Let’s see how his offense has looked through the first five games as offensive coordinator.

  • Yards per game: 422.5 (35th nationally)
  • Points per game: 35.0 (18th)
  • Rushing yards per game: 133.8 (77th)
  • Passing yards per game: 288.8 (21st)
  • Yards per play: 6.5 (20th)

Overall, not too bad, but you have to remember that the Ohio State offense is loaded. They seem to get off to too many slow starts. Is that a coaching issue or an execution issue? Could be both.

Hartline would be a risk.

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