'We will be motivated by love, not fear'
Football’s new head coach shares lessons from a winning career
By JOEY JOHNSTON, ’81 // USF Athletics
The power of love.
The philosophy still seems counterintuitive for first-year USF football Head Coach Brian Hartline, raised as a deadly serious, chip-on-the-shoulder player. Love? No, football was about hate. He hated to lose much more than he loved to win.
But when he matured as an assistant coach, as he became a key member of Ohio State’s national-championship braintrust, Hartline learned the power of love wasn’t weakness. It was strength.
You’re protecting your family,” Hartline says. “You’re not running out there because you hate some guy. You’re running out there because you love that person behind the door. “You’re protecting your quarterback because you love the guy. You’ll protect him with your life. That mentality isn’t easily attained. But once you have it, you can do anything.”
Hartline grew up in Canton, Ohio, birthplace of the NFL. His mother was a nurse and his father owned a cooling/heating company. The household was fiercely competitive. His father drummed Vince Lombardi quotes into the family’s sensibilities — There’s only one place, and that’s first place. His mother, a high-level bowler, was disgusted by defeat.
“All of that rubbed off on me,” says Hartline, who played as a Buckeyes wide receiver in two national-championship games.
In high school, he played football and ran track, capturing a pair of state titles in the hurdles during his senior year. He wasn’t always the fastest, he says, but he was always looking for an advantage.
“As a hurdler, I felt that angles always beat speed. If two guys have the same speed, the victory goes to the guy who has the right steps and angles.
“I just think the sky's the limit”
– Brian Hartline
“That’s the mentality we’re chasing at USF. Whether it’s play-calling, giving guys the correct angles or the right leverage on a block, we want our guys to have an advantage.”
USF is a program with no limits, he says, and that appealed to him.
“You’re at USF because you’ve got great players and the potential to uncap what the program is really capable of,” Hartline says. “With what we have here — the on-campus stadium (opening in 2027), the program’s performance, the players in this state and the support from our administration — I just think the sky’s the limit.”
USF CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins, ’01, says Hartline had long been on his radar.
“I love Coach Hartline’s grit, his work ethic and his authenticity,” Higgins says. “He’s as real as it gets. We knew that from the moment that we met him and every time we interacted with him.”
Hartline describes himself as an introvert, someone just fine in the embrace of his family — wife, Kara, and their three children, sons Brayden and Kameron and daughter Brooklyn. In Ohio, the family lived on a farm that included 10 acres of corn and soybeans, a chicken coop and an outdoors lifestyle.
After his junior season at Ohio State, Hartline entered the NFL Draft. He became a fourth-round pick of the Miami Dolphins and played seven NFL seasons as a wide receiver, finishing with 344 receptions for 4,766 yards and 14 touchdowns. In 2012, he set the franchise’s single-game record with 253 receiving yards.
Next, he explored business and broadcasting opportunities. He had no intention of coaching until, while helping out at Ohio State, he realized he could make an impact with young people on and off the field.
He likes a chippy team, filled with players who have something to prove. He values toughness, attention to detail and discipline.
His approach is rooted in three tenets.
“When you’re building something, the people are No. 1,” Hartline says. “Your process is No. 2. If you don’t like the outcome, change the process. And No. 3 is the purpose. Your purpose can take you to levels you didn’t know you were capable of.
“We will be motivated by love, not fear. We’re going to do it by loving our brother, not by hating our opponent. That’s how this thing is going to be built. The power of love is always better than the power of hate.”