Ohio State football has been one of the most wide receiver-dominant programs in the country over the last few seasons and Brian Hartline deserves a lot— if not all of the credit. He has been crucial in the recruiting process.
As someone who had a lot of success as a Buckeye and spent seven years in the NFL, there is no one better to pitch a high school prospect on the program in Columbus. Hartline is key.
However, he is being accused of committing a recruiting violation in Florida this week. It is an extremely petty, completely unclear and unconfirmed allegation, but it might be true.
Hartline visited Jeremiah Smith at his home on Thursday. Smith is the top-ranked wide receiver in the college football recruiting Class of 2024.
Hartline supposedly visited Smith again on Friday in the stands at a state championship game.
If true, that is technically illegal. The NCAA only allows a coach one in-person visit per week.
Brian Hartline was not allowed to visit Smith on both Thursday and Friday, in any capacity. If he did go and talk to the pass-catcher while at the game, he was in violation of the rules.
Of course, the accusation is being made by a Florida State fan who also considers himself a “reporter,” so it should be taken with a grain of salt. And the photo of Smith in the stands couldn’t be more blurry.
Even if Hartline truly spoke with Smith in the stands on Friday after visiting him on Thursday, who cares?
Seminoles fans are grasping at straws. Michigan fans are also piling on as if to say their program’s cheating scandal is equivalent to Hartline’s alleged conversations with Smith in back-to-back days.
It’s not.
Might Hartline have committed a violation? Yes. Should he get a slap on the wrist if true? Sure.
This does not mean that Ohio State should be hit with the death penalty as the folks in Tallahassee and Ann Arbor would prefer. So petty!