Tag: Urban Meyer

Urban Meyer has ‘no desire’ to return to coaching

Former Florida and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has “no desire” to return to coaching

Urban Meyer’s days as a head coach are over, at least for the foreseeable future.

During an appearance at the Knoxville Quarterback Club on Monday, Meyer told those in attendance that he has “no desire” to return to coaching. The story was first reported by Mike Wilson of the Knoxville News Sentinel.

“I am good,” Meyer added, noting that despite stepping away from his coaching job at Florida and Ohio State, he “never really took a day off,” citing health issues and an addiction to sleeping pills while calling himself a “maniac work”.

Wilson in the story also notes that Meyer cited the transfer portal and NIL as another reason that he has little desire to get back into coaching.

“It’s never been harder I am telling you right now,” Meyer said about the current state of college football. “Every coach, every player has an agent. Thank for that. Remember those days?  Maybe a coordinator every once in a while had an agent. There is nothing wrong with agents. They’re great.

But when I am the head coach having to deal with a high school player that (says) meet with my agent first. I am going I want to meet with your family because you are talking about recruiting and other stuff.”

The 59-year-old head coach stepped away from the college game in 2018 after seven seasons at Ohio State due to health concerns.

It was the second time that Meyer had stepped down from a head coaching position due to health reasons, he also did so in 2010, two years after leading the Florida Gators to their second national championship in three years.

Meyer, considered one of the best coaches of his generation, is a three-time national champion leading the Florida Gators to a pair of national titles in 2006 and 2008 while also leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to a national championship in 2014. He also was the head coach at Bowling Green and Utah over the course of his head coaching career.

Over the course of his illustrious career, Meyer led his programs to a combined record of 187-32, the fourth-highest winning percentage of all-time for any FBS head coach.

After serving as an analyst for Fox’s college football coverage in 2019 and 2020, Meyer would have a one-year stint in the NFL as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. He would be fired after a 2-11 start for the Jaguars that season.

Since then, Meyer has returned to Fox, once again serving as one of the network’s college football analysts, being featured on their weekly Big Noon Saturday pregame show as well as the halftime show of that week’s featured matchup.

Meyer’s denial of having any desire to coach again comes in the midst of his name being brought up in connection to the opening at Michigan State following the firing of Mel Tucker. The Spartans are currently being led by interim head coach Harlon Barnett and have lost four straight games since starting 2-0 on the season.

If Urban Meyer’s career is truly over, it will be a mixed legacy for the Ohio native.

On one end, Meyer delivered great success anywhere he went, collecting 12 double-digit win seasons in his 17 seasons as a head coach. His programs finished first or tied for first in their division 12 times, he also collected seven conference championships, and his previous three national championships.

On the other hand, his times at Florida and Ohio State had their fair share of controversy, some of that controversy in Gainesville was recently covered in a Netflix miniseries titled Untold: Swamp Kings which takes a look at the success the Florida Gators achieved during Meyer’s time with the program but also the culture and issues that arose during his tenure as well.

At Ohio State, Meyer’s final season was marred by allegations that he did not handle domestic abuse allegations against Buckeyes assistant coach Zach Smith properly, ultimately resulting in Meyer being placed on administrative release and receiving a three-game suspension. His lone year in the NFL was considered quite tumultuous as well, with multiple issues arising both within the Jaguars franchise and Meyers’ personal life.

With all that being said, while Meyer may currently have “no desire” to return to the coaching ranks, it will surely not stop any potential suitors from giving the future College Football Hall of Fame head coach a call.

Urban Meyer: Rutgers football’s weekend win has bowl implications

Urban Meyer was impressed with Rutgers football this weekend.

Urban Meyer thinks that Saturday’s win has some important implications for Rutgers football and their rebuilding project under head coach Greg Schiano. It puts Rutgers in a strong position to end a bowl-less streak that is nearly a decade long.

Meyer, a former college head coach with significant Power Five experience (Utah, Florida and Ohio State) as well as an NFL head coach (Jacksonville Jaguars) has been a believer in the direction of Rutgers under Schiano. Saturday’s win certainly validated Meyer’s belief in Rutgers.

Meyer is now an analyst for FoxSports and the Big Ten Network.

Down by 18 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Rutgers rattled off three straight touchdowns for an impressive and defining win. It is the most significant win of the Greg Schiano 2.0 era, hands down.

And one that Meyer points out is big for the team’s postseason ambitions.

“What a huge win for Greg Schiano and Rutgers – 21 unanswered points against Michigan State, Beating them 27-24. One victory away from bowl eligibility,” Meyer said.

Rutgers is 5-2 (2-2 Big Ten) on the season with a game at Indiana on Saturday.

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A win would make Rutgers bowl eligible outright for the first time since 2014. It would also ensure the Scarlet Knights their first non-losing since…you guessed it…2014.

In that season, the first for Rutgers in the Big Ten, the program finished 8-5 and beat North Carolina in the Quick Lane Bowl.

Twitter reacts to Urban Meyer’s unhappiness watching Ohio State

Urban Meyer was not happy watching Ohio State from the sideline, and social media had a lot to say about it.

Say what you will about Urban Meyer (and we certainly have), but the man’s success as Ohio State’s head coach was undisputed. His 83-9 record over seven seasons from 2012 through 2018 says a lot.

Meyer was on the sideline for the Buckeyes’ Saturday game against Maryland, and when Ryan Day’s team was down 10-0 in the first quarter before coming back to tie the game, Ohio State’s former head coach didn’t seem too amused about the whole thing.

Here’s what social media had to say about it.

Watch: Former Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn pays off bet to Ohio State in-law

Take that off now Brady

When [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] lost at home to Ohio State, it wasn’t just the Irish that lost.

[autotag]Brady Quinn[/autotag], whose brother in-law is former Buckeye linebacker [autotag]AJ Hawk[/autotag], made a bet with each other on who would win the game. Unfortunately, the former Irish quarterback had to pay off his bet in front of a large audience.

On the set of [autotag]Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff[/autotag] pre-game show, Quinn arrived on set with a Hawk Ohio State jersey, officially completing the wager. Check out the video below of the incident.

We certainly don’t agree with [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag]’s comments, Brady looks much better in Blue and Gold.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Watch: Brady Quinn pays off bet, wears Ohio State football jersey

Quinn looks good… #GoBucks

[autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] defeating Notre Dame didn’t just have implication on the field, there were some off the field as well.

Former Irish quarterback, [autotag]Brady Quinn[/autotag], whose brother in-law is former Buckeye linebacker [autotag]AJ Hawk[/autotag], made a bet and we all know who won. The payoff was Quinn having to wear a Buckeye jersey, and he just so happened to do it in Columbus on the set of Fox’s pregame show, [autotag]Big Noon Saturday[/autotag].

Check out the video below of Quinn in front of plenty of Buckeye fans wearing a Hawk jersey, with former Ohio State national championship head coach [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag] liking his outfit choice.

Contact/Follow @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on X.

Just how impressive Notre Dame landing Brenan Vernon really was

Why stop at just one next recruiting cycle?

What might get overlooked about Urban Meyer’s time at Ohio State is how well he did at keeping elite talent from the state of Ohio home and getting the very best players from the football-crazy state to play for the Buckeyes.

After Meyer was hired following the 2011 football season he had an incredible run of landing five-star talent from Ohio. Since Meyer’s hiring and Ryan Day’s subsequent promotion, the Buckeyes have landed eight of the 10 five-star recruits Ohio has had to offer (source – 247Sports).

The only two not to attend Ohio State in that time were offensive tackles: 2016 Notre Dame signee Tommy Kraemer and 2018 Clemson signee, Jackson Carman, which means every five-star, non-offensive lineman from Ohio since 2012 has signed with the Buckeyes.

Nobody here is naive enough to think that recruiting simply ends when a commitment is given, but Notre Dame pulled a major upset by landing Brenan Vernon. Keeping him a commitment will remain a task, but one that everyone on Notre Dame’s staff is certainly thrilled to take on.

Praise of Marcus Freeman, Mike Elston and Brian Kelly is warranted for this upset of a commitment, but it’s also worth noting that recruiting the state of Ohio for the 2023 class is anything but done. Five-star defensive back Sonny Styles (brother of current Fighting Irish freshman Lorenzo Styles, Jr.) remains a target for Notre Dame. He remains uncommitted.

Related:

Notre Dame’s best recruits from each state since 2000

Notre Dame’s top-ranked recruits since 2000

Urban Meyer embarrasses himself again re: Michigan football

What a clown. #GoBlue

“I believe Ohio State will stop the run.”

“‘We all agree Penn State will shut down — or slow down — the Wolverine run game.”

Is Urban Meyer ever right about anything when it comes to Michigan football?

Meyer, the former Ohio State head coach who’s now an analyst on Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff,” was at it again on Saturday, this time believing something particularly incredible: Nebraska (2-2) was poised to give the Wolverines a game.

One 45-7 final score later, Meyer was embarrassed yet again.

In case you missed it, while Meyer didn’t call for an upset, he predicted it would be a closer-than-expected contest and noted the maize and blue wouldn’t just walk away with the game — literally the exact opposite of what happened.

Let the hate flow through you, Urban. Let it flow through you.

Urban Meyer criticizes Michigan football for soft non-conference schedule

Urban Meyer criticizes Michigan football for soft non-conference schedule

Something that has become a hot topic in college football of late is non-conference scheduling. It’s especially relevant this week, as we just saw Michigan State play Washington for the second year in a row, and Ohio State will face Notre Dame in a top ten match-up.

Meanwhile, Michigan has only had to play lowly Bowling Green, UNLV, and East Carolina. They aren’t projected to face a ranked team until November, when they face Penn State and Ohio State.

In the Big Ten, Michigan has been criticized heavily for this type of scheduling, and in the SEC, Georgia has come under fire for the same reasons. On his podcast, Urban Meyer was highly critical of how Michigan schedules their season:

“Then the other thing is now you’re in a 12-game playoff starting next year and I think these games are going to go away and I’m scared about that,” Meyer said on Wednesday’s edition of Urban’s Take with Tim May. “Look at the team up in Ann Arbor (Michigan). You shouldn’t be allowed to play that schedule. Georgia is playing a schedule that, at the end of the day, you’re supposed to be penalized for that, and they’re not.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

Urban Meyer praises Nebraska’s defense

Nebraska may be 0-2, but a National Championship head coach has high praise for the Husker defense.

Nebraska may be 0-2, but a National Championship head coach has high praise for the Husker defense. Former Ohio State and Florida coach Urban Meyer sat down with Gerry Dinardo to break down the Cornhuskers 3-3-5 defense.

Meyer had positive things to say about the Cornhuskers and their new scheme.

“That Nebraska defense, they’re playing their hearts out. That’s the story. It’s a new scheme. It’s a well-coached defense, they tackle in space and they play really hard. New (defensive) coordinator Tony White has done a phenomenal job.”

When asked by Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo why a team would want to run the 3-3-5 defense, Meyer made three succinct points.

  1. The multiplicity of blitzes you can attack an offense with.
  2. It forces the offensive line into single blocks
  3. The ability to drop eight players into pass coverage.

You can watch the entire segment below.

Find a photo gallery of Nebraska’s first two games below.

Urban Meyer: Rutgers football has found its edge, says the rebuild “will be a success”

Urban Meyer believes in how Rutgers football is being rebuilt under Greg Schiano.

Urban Meyer is not only a believer in what Rutgers football has done so far this season, but the former Ohio State and NFL head coach believes that the rebuild of the program “will be a success.”

Meyer, who won three national championships as a college head coach, likes the direction of where head coach Greg Schiano has Rutgers headed. Schiano once served on Meyer’s staff at Ohio State as a defensive coordinator.

Rutgers is off to a 2-0 start this year, with a season-opening win over Northwestern followed up by a Saturday night win over Temple. Saying that “Rutgers is doing a great job,” Meyer spent time with Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo where he talked about why Rutgers is off to a good start this season.

Meyer offered a long and detailed answer as to why he is buying the Rutgers rebuild.

“Rutgers is 2-0. Two big wins. A conference win against Northwestern and against a good Temple team,” Meyer told the Big Ten Network.

“I was talking to him and he made a comment to me…It’s his second stint at Rutgers.

“His whole focus now is finding that edge. What’s the edge? If I’m Ohio State, you know what my edge is? I’m going to get Nick Bosa and Chase Young and a bunch of other great players. He’s at Rutgers, he’s got quality players, he has a heck of a quarterback right now. But he has to find that edge in the program.

“He’s come up with three things. Number one is the ball, which is the most important thing in the program. If they take care of the ball on his mind and in his player’s mind, they won’t lose.

“Right now, they’re plus-two in the turnover ratio and they’re 2-0. The second one is swarm. They want to out-effort everybody. He feels that they will not go into a game this year that the team on the other sideline will outplay them.

“You watch them play right now, there is effort all over the place. He considers himself the ball coach, the swarm coach and then number three is CHOP. It’s been around Rutgers for a while. That’s Greg’s word that he uses.

“He trains his players to focus on the moment. In the game of football, one of the worst things you can do is to be thinking about something that happened before. A turnover, a mistake – that paralyzes a player. The second thing you don’t want to do is worry about the future, what’s happening next. Why am I not getting the ball?

“Live in the moment, play as hard as you possibly can in the moment. That’s their edge.”

DiNardo agreed with Meyer’s assessment, saying that Schiano’s mentality and “that he is a fanatic” about his program’s principles.

 

“They’re 2-0 and you know what? You look at his first stint at Rutgers, that was a success,” Meyer said. “This will be a success as well.”