Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide have received both praise and criticism for the use of former players in practice this season and, around the country, the college football world has seen an uptick in the usage of this practice. In fact, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was seemingly taken aback when asked about Alabama's idea earlier this season, and that spawned more conversation in and of itself.
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Fast forward to late December, though, and it appears that the Buckeyes are using their own alumni in preparation for a College Football Playoff match-up against Clemson. Former OSU wide receiver Brian Hartline was reportedly seen at practice on Monday, prompting this tweet from current quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
In addition, Hartline quote-tweeted with a response of his own, which was quickly deleted (h/t CollegeFootballTalk).
In the grand scheme of things, this is a (very) minor offense from Ohio State, only because it is illegal to talk about the use of a former player in practice before the fact. Hartline appears to be part of the game-plan in preparing for Clemson's NFL-caliber wide receivers, and while there is nothing wrong with using his services, the Buckeyes (including Hartline himself) just can't advertise it.
