Column: With the 2022 receiver haul set, Brian Hartline can aim for the top again in 2023

As we inch closer to the end of July, Ohio State wide receiver coach Brian Hartline has put the program in an advantageous situation at the position on the recruiting trail. That’s because he has yet again reeled in a group of pass catchers that are nothing short of outstanding — something that has become the norm for Hartline — and likely put the finishing touches on the spot earlier this month.

It all started back in late November when four-star Caleb Burton (No. 43 overall) of Lake Travis (TX) announced his pledge to the Buckeyes a mere four days after Quinn Ewers committed to the program. Three months later, Ohio State planted the flag down in Arizona as four-star Kyion Grayes (No. 104) of Chandler (AZ) decided to join the fold.

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Fast forward to where we stand today as August inches closer and the Scarlet and Gray have since had the luxury of adding both four-star Kaleb Brown (No. 65) of St. Rita (IL) and four-star Kojo Antwi (No. 125) of Lambert (GA). It gives the Buckeyes a quartet of blue-chip studs that will be welcomed to the wide receiver room and a group that will make both Ewers, Hartline, and plenty of others inside of the program more than thrilled.

Perhaps the most underrated part of it all is that Ohio State will not need to add any other pass catchers in the class. Instead of Hartline fighting to the bitter end for other receivers, he found four guys that he wanted. Four guys that wanted to be in Columbus gracing the turf of Ohio Stadium.

Now, he can focus on strengthening relationships and building a rapport with even more elite pass catchers in 2023 in what you can bank on being another special group. With all of the wild twists and turns that are inevitable in the high school recruiting world, one thing that has always been a constant is Hartline adding jaw-dropping hauls at the position he once played at the highest level.

He’s the No. 1 recruiter in the country at this very moment. If that holds, it would be the second time Hartline achieved this feat with 2020 being the other year in which he held the top spot. In 2021, he found himself slotted inside the Top 10 nationally finishing at No. 9 overall.

Outside of Grayes and Antwi right now, who still have a whole senior season to change their current standing, every wide receiver Hartline has added were inside of the Top 100 in their respective classes. Two of them were of the five-star variety and landed inside of the Top 10 overall with Emeka Egbuka of Steilacoom (WA) in the 2021 cycle and Julian Fleming of Southern Columbia (PA) the year prior. It’s simply ridiculous when you think about all of the successes that Hartline has had as a recruiter ever since he secured even the interim tag 36 months ago.

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Now, with a star studded class locked up. Hartline can shift a lot of focus towards the handful of prospects in 2023 that have already added an offer from the Buckeyes and while four-star WR Carnell Tate of IMG Academy (FL) is the lone player of the five for Ohio State that seems to have any serious momentum, it would be silly to count them out for any elite prospect that plays the position.