We’ve been hearing for the last couple of months that it would not be at all surprising if Urban Meyer were to hang up his coaching whistle upon the conclusion of the 2018 season. Based on one report, an answer on the Ohio State head coach’s future, one way or the other, is in the offing.
First, what we wrote late last month:FootballScoop.com reported earlier this week that there was “friction” between Urban Meyer/the football staff “and athletics leadership as well as within the program itself”; the head coach subsequently attempted to knock down that report, for what it’s worth. CFT has caught wind of speculation that it wouldn’t be surprising at all if Meyer were not the Buckeyes’ head coach next season, whispers that grew a little louder given the embarrassing loss in West Lafayette this past weekend and what some have described as Meyer’s “anguished… emotional… erratic” sideline demeanor. And then there is the arachnoid cyst that puts pressure on the coach’s brain and sometimes causes the kind of headaches that dropped him to one knee on the sidelines during the Indiana game.
Add all of that to the battering Meyer’s reputation took nationally over the Zach Smith situation and the coach’s response to allegations of domestic abuse, and some have begun to wonder just how much longer Meyer will remain as The Head Coach at The Ohio State.
Friday, our buddies at FootballScoop dropped another potential bombshell: Meyer has already told athletic director Gene Smith that “he doesn’t expect to coach past the 2019 season.” The website added that "[o]ne source told us we should expect Urban to address this in the days following Saturday’s Big Ten Championship.” OSU will square off with Northwestern tomorrow night in Indianapolis, with a Buckeyes win keeping them in the chase for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
This latest reported development comes just a few days after Meyer stated he plans to coach beyond this current season but didn’t delve into specifics.
It has been previously reported that OSU was discussing making offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ryan Day, who drew near-universal praise for his handling of the Buckeyes during Meyer’s suspension, a de facto head coach-in-waiting.; Smith subsequently addressed the situation without really addressing it.
In that vein, FootballScoop‘s latest also addressed Day’s status as they state that OSU is attempting to take the coordinator off the market “with a significant raise coming and with the (most likely) unwritten understanding that he is in line to become head coach once Urban steps down.” The idea, it appears, is the football program positioning itself for what’s expected to be a significant amount of interest in Day, particularly from the NFL.
Regardless of what Meyer ultimately decides, and when he decides to reveal it, it certainly seems as if the coach is much closer to the end of his career than most could’ve imagined just a few months ago.
