Hartline’s huge upside makes him worth risk
PSU point/counterpoint: Who would you like to see Penn State hire?
Trending
Let's be clear about what Penn State is hiring. It's hiring a football coach. And a CEO.
Those are two very different things in the modern world of college football.
A great football coach -- somebody who's awesome at Xs and Os, schemes, game plans, in-game adjustments, recruiting, etc. -- would be relatively easy to find. I believe there are lots of those out there.
But a great CEO? Somebody who can:
– Be the face of a billion dollar college sports franchise
– Glad hand millionaire and billionaire donors
– Be the face of the entire university
– Go on TV and be intelligent, charismatic, charming, the whole 9 yards
– Navigate the outrageous NIL and transfer portal
Whew, man! That's a whole bunch of crazy stuff there. Who the heck knows how good someone might be at all of those things?
For my money, Brian Hartline should be Penn State's next coach. He's Ohio State's offensive coordinator, the best recruiter in the country over the past decade, the best wide receiver developer in the country over the past decade, and a former NFL receiver who had two 1,000-yard seasons.
Hartline, 38, played for the Buckeyes, he knows the Big Ten, knows how to win at the highest level and -- this is very important --probably knows better than anyone else available how to actually beat Ohio State because he knows that program inside and out.
Hartline, to me, could be a great fit -- based on actual football stuff.
But, clearly, there would be an enormous risk, because Hartline has never been a head coach anywhere. For all we know, he could end up being a great fit with all the Xs and Os, recruiting and in-game stuff, and yet be a total disaster as the CEO of the entire operation.
Or, you know, the exact opposite of James Franklin.
I've said for several years that I believe Franklin might have been the best CEO in all of college football because he was terrific at handling all the business, personnel and personal stuff that a modern coach has to deal with.
The problem, though, was that Franklin just isn't a great football coach. He did his worst work during games, and ultimately, that cost him his job.
If Penn State were to hire Hartline, it absolutely would be a gamble. A very expensive gamble, because the next coach is going to command at least $10 million a year. If Hartline simply cannot make the jump from assistant to head coach smoothly -- as well as having the burden of being CEO -- the whole thing could backfire in a hurry.
Still, I cannot get past the enormous upside someone like Hartline could bring to Penn State. Just think of the wealth of knowledge and success he could tap into as the Lions' coach, and what that ultimately could lead to on the field.
The key would be for him to surround himself with trusted veterans on his staff that he can rely on to help him learn on the job the first couple of years. If everything works out, it could lead to amazing results.
Of course there's no telling how Hartline would be able to handle the CEO stuff. He could fail miserably, and Penn State could be back hiring another coach before too long.
But hey, I say give it a shot. Take a chance with this guy.
Cory Giger hosts the new Blue & White Wrapup show following each Penn State game this season on 96.9 FM and 100.7 FM.