Ohio State Buckeyes tab Brian Hartline as interim WRs coach

Ohio State named Brian Hartline as the interim wide receivers coach for the 2018 season, the school announced Thursday.

The move comes on the heels of the Buckeyes firing assistant coach Zach Smith earlier this week after several domestic issues came to light.

Hartline, a former Buckeyes wide receiver from 2005-08, is entering his second season at his alma mater after serving as a quality control coach for the team. The 31-year-old Hartline appeared in 104 contests in the NFL, recording 344 career receptions for 4,766 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Ohio State also elevated Corey Dennis to an enhanced quality control position, where he will work with both the wide receivers and quarterbacks. Dennis, a former football player at Georgia Tech, is married to head coach Urban Meyer's daughter, Nicki.

"I am very confident with the individuals on this coaching staff and both Brian and Corey are quality young men," Meyer said in a prepared statement. "I anticipate both of them doing well with their new responsibilities."

Smith was dismissed on Monday, three days after an Ohio judge issued a protection order that forbids him from getting within 500 feet of his ex-wife, Courtney.

Smith was charged with criminal trespassing after a dispute with his ex-wife in May. He was also investigated in a dispute with his then-pregnant wife in 2009 when he was a member of Meyer's staff at Florida, according to ESPN.