As usual, Brian Hartline had a plan. Before taking the stage Monday, before being formally introduced as USF's seventh head football coach, Hartline had bullet points lined up in proper order to articulate his vision.
Just before his emergence, though, the packed house at USF's Sam and Martha Gibbons Alumni Center was shown a hype video, featuring Hartline's life and career, along with the upward trajectory of Bulls football and the championship pedigree of Tampa Bay. It was punctuated by the booming voice of Derrick Brooks, the Pro Football Hall of Famer and USF Athletics chief operating officer.
This is a city built on grit, a city that knows how to rise, how to fight and how to win … Champions have made this place home, and now it's time for another chapter … This isn't just a hire. It's a bold statement, a promise to past, present and future that greatness is not only coming, greatness is here … This is the city of champions, and our championship era starts … NOW!
With the room's emotion cresting into a game-day atmosphere, as he stared into a sea of enthusiastic faces and a foot-stomping standing ovation, Hartline said he was overwhelmed. But only for a moment.
"Man, that was well done,'' he said, smiling and shaking his head in wonder.
And so was the process that brought Hartline, the Ohio State University offensive coordinator, into USF's embrace. Hartline, 39, is considered one of the brightest head-coaching prospects in all of college football. Certainly, he had choices. He chose USF.
Once Alex Golesh accepted the Auburn University job a few hours after USF's regular-season finale, CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins was ready for action.
"You don't have to get ready if you stay ready,'' Higgins said. "I think we were prepared for every scenario as the season continued to unfold. So, the moment that we found out that Coach Golesh would be headed to Auburn, we got out our playbook, we executed our playbook, and 60 hours later, we had our dream candidate in coach Brian Hartline.
"When you swing for the fences, every now and then, you hit the ball and you knock it out of the park with a grand slam, and that's what happened.''
A Name To Remember
Three years ago, when USF last sought a football head coach, Higgins was executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission. But he was very much plugged into the process. And he kept hearing the same name over and over from Tampa Bay's high-school coaches.
"Brian Hartline … the Ohio State guy … he recruits this area so well … players love him … USF should take a look … man, this guy can teach the game … he's going to be somebody's head coach one day, so why not here?''
Higgins put Hartline's name on his imaginary list. Last week, that list was real and Hartline's name was at the top.
To cap several telephone calls and zoom meetings, what Higgins described as a "60-hour process,'' he and Will Weatherford, USF Board of Trustees chairman, flew to Columbus, Ohio for face-to-face talks with Hartline.
"We got our guy,'' Higgins said.
And Hartline had his destination.
"There are a lot of opportunities to go places, but it has to feel right,'' Hartline said. "I think I had a great feel for them (USF administrators). I was really encouraged. My wife (Kara) and I, I don't think we slept that night. We had great conversations. By that morning, we were locked in.
"When you go through these conversations, you see the entire picture. You know the recruiting footprint, the new college dynamic, the atmosphere of college football, being in the portal, wanting to come (to Florida), they all play a factor. Rob (Higgins) was the last, final piece and the group we have here at USF. I think the people are second to none.''
Hartline traveled to Tampa on Sunday and was up before the sun rose, walking the practice fields and the Porter Family Indoor Performance Facility, then watching his new team go to work. The Bulls (9-3), led by interim head coach Kevin Patrick, are preparing for the Dec. 17 Cure Bowl in Orlando against the Old Dominion Monarchs (9-3).
Hartline will be here through the week to meet with USF players and begin assembling his staff. He will be back and forth, performing double duty, maintaining his commitment to Ohio State as the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes (12-1) seek to repeat as national champions, beginning with the Dec. 31 Cotton Bowl against the Miami-Texas A&M winner in the College Football Playoff's second round.
"You can't get in front of the (USF) guys enough,'' said Hartline, a wide receiver on four Ohio State teams that won Big Ten championships and two that reached the Bowl Championship Series title game. "I love Zoom and everything, but we have five days (in Tampa) to make sure we do a good job getting in front of them, connecting with them. I've done some texts and phone calls, but I love being in person.
"I think that you can look in someone's eyes and kind of tell if they're full of it or not," continued the seven-year NFL veteran who holds the Miami Dolphins single-game record for most receiving yards. "That's where the connection comes from. Definitely want to get in front of the players, get connected with them, let them see the vision that I have.''
All About The Players
One of those USF players is quarterback Byrum Brown, who became only the 12th Football Bowl Subdivision player to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in the same season. Brown has another year of college eligibility and also an option of entering the NFL draft.
"The communication has been great with him (Brown),'' said Hartline, who added that player retention probably trumps the transfer portal and recruiting, at least early on. "I think very highly of him and his parents. Obviously, I look forward to spending more time with him in person. I like his mentality. That's probably the most impressive part that I've seen. I think that's a big, big factor in an athlete's success.''
In many ways, Hartline still considers himself an athlete, often taking a hands-on approach at the practice field by demonstrating routes. He said he's a blend of the Ohio State head coaches he has worked under — the likes of Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer and Ryan Day — but also has his own identity.
At Ohio State, he has been the primary play-caller. At USF, depending upon the composition of his staff, he's open to continuing in that role or delegating it to someone else.
"To be there with Coach Urban Meyer and see how he operated, it's completely different than how Coach (Ryan) Day has operated,'' Hartline said. "I think the experience of calling plays is important, but the day-in, day-out of seeing these guys operate, how to deal with staff, how to set a schedule, how to communicate with recruits, that's way more important than calling plays.
"I'm not minimizing that. I just want to people to understand that spending day-in, day-out with those elite men (Ohio State head coaches) is ultimately why I feel like I'm very confident on doing an elite job here.''
Job One for Hartline?
Providing stability.
"It's all about the players and doing right by them,'' Hartline said. "We are ultimately putting them in the position to chase the best version of themselves. If we get a bunch of guys on the team being the best versions of themselves, USF football is going to be all right.
"Ultimately, we're chasing championships. We want to win conference championships. That's the ultimate focus. What does it take to get there? I think the resources have never been better and we are maximizing that at a high level. It comes down to consistency. That's what separates people and all teams. We can win nine of 12 (games) … but winning 11 of 12 or 12 of 12, that's a different caliber. It starts with the person, then it feeds into the player.''
It's directed by the head coach, a self-described "genuine as it gets'' leader, a man who will oversee next season's 30th year of USF football, then the transition to the program's 35,000-seat on-campus stadium in 2027.
"We have a lot of big things ahead of us,'' Hartline said.
Indeed, the future is filled with possibilities.
But USF's championship mentality — as the booming voice of Derrick Brooks reminded us — begins right NOW!
"Man, let's go to work,'' Hartline said. "I am really, really excited.''
–#GoBulls–
