Mike Hartline became the starting quarterback at GlenOak High School in Canton, Ohio as a sophomore. Hartline’s starting role gained him a lot of attention from college scouts including Ohio State and Wisconsin. However, Hartline decided to take his football talents to Lexington where he signed with Kentucky in 2006.
Hartline redshirted his first season at Kentucky and saw little action in his redshirt freshman season as a backup behind Andre Woodson. Hartline won the starting quarterback position in 2008 following Woodson’s graduation. Hartline was chosen as SEC Offensive Player of the Week following Kentucky’s 20-14 win over Middle Tennessee.