Over the past several seasons, Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Brian Hartline has emerged as arguably the top recruiter in the entire country. But even as college football is becoming increasingly focused on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) in recruiting, Hartline reveals that he does not emphasize that in his recruiting strategy. In fact, he avoids recruiting players that emphasize NIL.
During a press conference last week, Brian Hartline revealed that he sees it as at least a little bit of a concern when a player he’s recruiting emphasizes NIL in his recruiting or his college decision and that he probably would not recruit that player.
“I would say this, I would say that it’s probably per position per coach,” Hartline said according to On3. “I would say as a receiver coach, probably not a guy that would fit my room.”
Hartline acknowledged that different position coaches handle NIL differently at Ohio State, but he does not personally emphasize it in his recruiting pitch.
“Each coach handles it,” he said. “And how coach (Ryan) Day wants to handle it, that’s fine. But I’m OK saying that’s probably not the right fit for us in our room.”
Hartline’s approach seems to be working for him. He’s landed a commitment from the top-rated wide receiver in the class three times and seven top-five receivers since 2018.
[On3]
