Brian Hartline and Wide Receivers Spoke to the Media
8/9/2024 9:17:00 AM | Football
On how the cornerback room has helped the receivers
“Part of coming to Ohio State is the iron on iron, iron sharpens iron. That's a cliche statement but it's really true. It's the DB'S you go against every day and then it's the guys in your room, you can't have a bad day. So the combination of both of those is critical. You can't have one without the other.”
On freshman WR Jeremiah Smith
“He has a lot of tools. He works extremely hard and I will say this, we've never had an Iron Buckeye from Coach Mick as a freshman. I don't know ever or definitely since I've been here. So a lot of credit to him, as far as Jeremiah goes, he embodied everything that is a part of that conversation. It's not just lifting numbers, speed numbers. It is the way you carry yourself, the way you train, the edge to you, it's all that. He's the first one that's ever earned that and we leave it at that.”
On the hardest thing for a freshman to pick up once they get here
“The amount of strain and recovery I would say, the lifestyle of being an elite athlete is just something really hard to learn before you're in it. So that off the field and then the amount of detail that goes into the simplest play on paper are both the two hardest things.”
On how Ohio State develops receivers better than any other school in the country
“We play [against] Denzel [Burke], Davison [Igbinosun], Jermaine Matthews, Jordan Hancock, Lathan Ransom and Caleb Downs. That's really what it is. It's BIA getting us better every single day. Tremendous credit to the defense and the ability to be able to develop corners like that. It's just good on good every single day. That's the way you get better.”
On difficulty getting open compared to his sophomore year
“We definitely have a strong secondary, It's not just their talent that makes them special. It's their ability to go hard every single day. They show up every single day with a competitive nature and we're going back and forth on the field every single day, maybe bickering and spitting at each other a little bit, but it's all love at the end of the day and we appreciate them for getting us better.”
On Brandon Inniss' versatility
“Brandon, he came up playing running back for a lot of his life, played a little quarterback here and there. Now he's a receiver, he can do a lot of different things. So we just try to put him in a position where he can be the most successful. And the position that makes him the most successful is just the ball in his hands. So we try to do that for him and a bunch of other guys in the program who thrive with that.”
On his focus this offseason
“The focus was to get my body right, first of all, just get back healthy. Then to be a leader and help everybody around me, help JJ, he's young, he's still getting there, to help Mylan and just be a leader with the whole offense and defense as well as bring energy to the team.”
On the type of energy he brings
“It's vocal, but it's also actions because they have to see what you're doing to follow you. You have to make plays, you have to do things like that. You have to make big blocks, they fire us up, it encourages them to block as well.”
On Denzel Burke
"Denzel has probably the best technique of a corner that I've seen or that I've gone against. He's very patient and his technique is crazy, his drive on the ball is probably the best in the world."
On how fall camp has been going for him
“Camp has been going very well for me right now, I’m still learning. I’m just a freshman so coming in as a young guy and listening to the older guys that have been here, that have been through camp. Listening to Coach Hartline and you got Emeka, Tate, Brandon … just listening to those guys.”
On the attention surrounding him
“It's a blessing but you don't want that hype to affect you and all this other outside factors that's going on around me. I just keep my head down, just find ways to get better each and every day.”
On who Jeremiah Smith is on and off the field
“Off the field I am a quiet person like everyone says but I am all about business.”
On camp this season
“There's fierce competition and I feel like that just gives us receivers and the whole zone six this great opportunity to make plays and just be at the best of our abilities. Coach Hartline preaches that every day, being the best version of yourself and when we're in our meetings that's what we want to do."
On what he has seen from Will Howard
“More composure most definitely. He's getting more comfortable. He's been a great aspect to this team and he's a great voice in the locker room, great energy and he provides a dual threat that we've been looking for in our offense. feel like that gives us receivers so much leeway and ability to do things all over the field. Will, he is a great quarterback and he's just going to keep growing and growing and keep becoming better and better for this team.”
On his impact this fall camp
“I feel like this has been the best fall camp for me. Obviously fall camp is not over yet. I feel like the past two years has really been development. I feel like this year I really took a stride in my role and working special teams and helping the young guys and stuff like that.”
On being the last receiver from his recruiting class left on the roster
"It definitely feels weird. It four of us, those were my guys and they obviously made the best decision for them and I obviously made the best decision for me staying here."
On Emeka Egbuka and talk around other recievers
“Since I came in with him, obviously I love all the guys in the receiver room, but I feel like it doesn't really matter who gets talked about the most. It doesn’t bother me at least. It probably doesn’t bother many people, but no I love them all."
On this being his breakthrough year
“I feel pretty confident. I feel like Coach Hartline has a lot of trust in me since I’ve been here. Like I said patience, time and we’ll see what that can do coming up to the season.”
On how he has changed throughout his career
“I feel like confidence for me, I I’ve built up more than what I had in my previous years since I've been here, consistently making plays on the field and playing defense.”
On where he got better this year
“I'm better everywhere. I've been in the slide, been on the outside as you guys can see, I'm better everywhere. I got better. I got faster. I got bigger. I got stronger. I'm better everywhere and I feel good.”
On what people are going to see from him in 2024
"They're going to see me play ball and talk my trash with it."
On his best advice to Jeremiah Smith
“I tell him to play ball. Keep your head, eyes, chin up and play ball. You're going to have your ups and you are going to have your downs but it's life.”
