Meet Cortez Hankton, the coach tasked with sustaining Ohio State’s wide receiver standard

Jack Diwik
Thu, 15 Jan 2026 03:45:03 +0000
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Cortez Hankton dives for a catch in the endzone during the NFL 2006 preseason. Hankton took the Ohio State wide receiver coach position Jan. 1. Credit: Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT via TNS

Seven five-star prospects signed.

Five first-round picks developed.

A national championship.

Brian Hartline spent nine seasons turning Ohio State’s wide receiver room into one of college football’s most reliable producers of elite talent. His promotion to offensive coordinator in 2025 only accelerated what felt inevitable.

That next step came Dec. 3, when Hartline accepted the head coaching job at the University of South Florida, closing one of the most influential position-coach tenures in the sport.

Less than 24 hours after Ohio State’s season ended with a College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Miami in the Cotton Bowl, Hartline’s replacement was found.

Ohio State announced the hiring of Cortez Hankton as wide receivers coach, placing him in charge of a position group that has become central to the program’s identity.

“We’re excited to welcome Cortez and his family to Ohio State,” head coach Ryan Day said in the press release announcing Hankton’s hiring. “His experience recruiting and developing some of the best wide receiver talent in the country speaks for itself. I think he is going to integrate into our program’s culture and values, which are at the core of who we are, very well.”

Here is a look at the Buckeyes’ next wide receivers coach.

Hankton’s background

Hankton played college football at Texas Southern, where he finished his career as the program’s all-time leading receiver. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and spent seven seasons in the league, playing for multiple organizations before later continuing his professional career in the United Football League.

After retiring from professional football in 2011, Hankton moved into coaching. He began as a wide receivers coach at Dartmouth from 2012 to 2014 before taking the same role at Vanderbilt from 2015 to 2017. He then joined Georgia, where he coached wide receivers from 2018 to 2021 and was part of a national championship staff. Hankton moved to LSU in 2022 and remained with the program through the 2025 season.

In his four seasons at LSU, where he coached wide receivers and later served as co-offensive coordinator, the Tigers finished first nationally in passing offense in 2023 and second in the SEC in 2024.

Player development history

Ohio State’s press release announcing Hankton’s hire cited 11 receivers from Vanderbilt, Georgia and LSU who recorded notable seasons under his guidance. Only two of those players, George Pickens and Vanderbilt’s Kalija Lipscomb, were receivers Hankton recruited out of high school.

However, at LSU, Malik Nabers developed into one of the most productive receivers in the country during Hankton’s tenure. Nabers finished his freshman season in 2021 with 28 receptions for 417 yards and four touchdowns. Over the next two seasons under Hankton, his production increased, culminating in a 2023 season in which he totaled 1,569 receiving yards and earned unanimous All-American honors. Nabers was selected No. 6 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

That same season, teammate Brian Thomas Jr. surpassed 1,000 receiving yards and led the nation with 17 touchdown receptions, becoming a first-round selection at No. 23. Nabers and Thomas are the only first-round draft picks Hankton has coached to date.

Hankton also coached multiple receivers at Georgia who later reached the NFL, including Mecole Hardman, Riley Ridley and Terry Godwin, all of whom were selected in the 2019 NFL Draft. Pickens, whom Hankton coached for all three of his seasons in Athens, was selected in the second round in 2022. Ladd McConkey and Adonai Mitchell, both second-round selections in 2024, also played under Hankton during portions of their college careers.

What he inherits

Hankton does not arrive in Columbus to rebuild, but Ohio State’s wide receiver room has seen notable turnover entering the 2026 season.

Jeremiah Smith is expected back after establishing himself as one of the most productive receivers in the country, while Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham transferred to Notre Dame.

Ohio State added UTSA transfer Devin McCuin to provide experience. Unlike former receivers coach Brian Hartline, who did not add a transfer wide receiver during his tenure, Hankton brings experience operating in the portal. From 2023 to 2025 at LSU, Hankton signed six transfer receivers. LSU’s leading receivers during the 2025 season, Barion Brown, Zavion Thomas and Aaron Anderson, all arrived via the portal, along with Nic Anderson and C.J. Daniels.

The Buckeyes also will retain Brandon Innis and bring in five-star freshman Chris Henry Jr.

A transition, not a reset

Hartline’s departure marked a significant transition for Ohio State, but the expectations surrounding the wide receiver position remain unchanged. Hankton steps into a role shaped by years of production and national visibility.

Personnel may change from year to year, but the standard attached to Ohio State’s wide receiver room remains in place.