Episode

Ohio State hires wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton: What it means, what comes next

Podcast

Lettermen Live: Ohio State Football Podcast

Published

Jan 3, 2026

Duration seconds

1076

Processing state

processed

Canonical source

https://lettermenrow.com

Audio

https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/256/injector.simplecastaudio.com/8851ebbf-d1eb-4685-a981-5134020b8c56/episodes/fc620cb2-cd3a-41e3-ac50-6154710de6df/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=8851ebbf-d1eb-4685-a981-5134020b8c56&awEpisodeId=fc620cb2-cd3a-41e3-ac50-6154710de6df&feed=XNlOHKoi

JSON

/v1/public/podcasts/lettermen-live-ohio-state-football-podcast-686430/episodes/ohio-state-hires-wide-receivers-coach-cortez-hankton-what-it-means-what-comes-next

Markdown

/podcast/lettermen-live-ohio-state-football-podcast-686430/ohio-state-hires-wide-receivers-coach-cortez-hankton-what-it-means-what-comes-next.md

Actions

• POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/lettermen-live-ohio-state-football-podcast-686430/episodes/ohio-state-hires-wide-receivers-coach-cortez-hankton-what-it-means-what-comes-next/transcription-requests
  Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
• GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/lettermen-live-ohio-state-football-podcast-686430/ohio-state-hires-wide-receivers-coach-cortez-hankton-what-it-means-what-comes-next.md
  Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

Summary

The hiring of Cortez Hankton as Ohio State's wide receivers coach brings a focus on elite recruiting and dynamic playmaking. The discussion explores how his coaching style will impact established stars like Jeremiah Smith and the team's transfer portal strategy.

Topics

• Ohio State Football
• Cortez Hankton
• College Football Recruiting
• Ryan Day
• Transfer Portal
• Jeremiah Smith
• Big Ten Football
• Wide Receivers Coach

Highlights

• Main idea: Cortez Hankton is viewed as a premier relationship builder and recruiter despite recent fluctuations in five-star commitments
• Practical takeaway: Expect a shift toward utilizing dynamic, explosive role players to complement primary targets like Jeremiah Smith
• Failure mode: If the receiving corps fails to develop or the transfer portal targets underperform, the coaching hire will face immediate scrutiny
• Main idea: The hire is not an indictment of his passing game coordination, as Ryan Day remains the primary architect of the offense
• Practical takeaway: The coaching staff is actively monitoring the transfer portal to bolster depth and explosiveness in the receiving room

Chapters

1. 1:00 Evaluating the Hankton Hire: An analysis of Cortez Hankton's reputation as a recruiter and his ability to build relationships with high-level prospects.
2. 2:00 Recruiting Pedigree: Examining Hankton's track record with five-star talent and what his arrival means for future recruiting cycles.
3. 4:00 The LSU Context: Discussing the nuances of Hankton's recent tenure at LSU and why his performance shouldn't be judged solely on the struggling LSU offense.
4. 6:00 Developing the Receiving Corps: The importance of maximizing the potential of Jeremiah Smith, Quincy Porter, and other key Buckeyes receivers.
5. 8:00 Transfer Portal Strategy: How Ohio State is looking to the portal to add depth and prevent the wide receiver room from stagnating.
6. 11:00 Roster Construction and Depth: The search for explosive players who can provide 'shot play' capability and take pressure off the primary stars.
7. 15:00 The Future of the Passing Game: Comparing the new coaching approach to previous regimes and the long-term implications for Ryan Day's offense.