Jim Knowles on Brian Hartline's coaching skills, fashion sense

New Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles shared high praise for wide receivers coach Brian Hartline and his impact on the team. Knowles spoke with media on Friday about what it was like to coach alongside Hartline, someone that Knowles believes is the “best in the country.”

Jim Knowles on Brian Hartline

“He’s great. He’s the best in the country and that shows up,” said Knowles. “There’s a saying — ‘what you see is what you coach’ — so there’s nobody better than him in terms of the product that he puts on the field. I love the way he dresses, he’s a snappy dresser. He looks sharp — he just looks like you’d want a great wide receiver coach and offensive coach to look. And I’m glad to be on his team.”

Knowles enters his first season with the Buckeyes after coming over from Oklahoma State and taking the defensive coordinator position with Ohio State. Part of that transition has been meeting one of the highest-touted coaches in the nation in Hartline. Hartline played his college football for the Buckeyes and entered the NFL in the 2009 NFL Draft, getting selected in the fourth round.

Hartline joined Ohio State again as a coach in 2017 as an offensive quality control assistant. The following year he was promoted to wide receivers coach, a position he has held until getting promoted to additional duties this year as passing game coordinator. Under Hartline, the wide receivers at Ohio State thrived in 2021 with three All-Americans. Senior Chris Olave and junior Garrett Wilson were named first-team All-Americans, while sophomore Jackson Smith-Njigba made second-team honors.

Additionally, Olave and Wilson both opted-out of the Rose Bowl to prepare for their NFL careers, opening the door for players like Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming — with the three receivers contributing 14 catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns in their win over Utah.