On Tuesday during the press conference at Ohio State announcing Urban Meyer stepping down in favor of offensive coordinator Ryan Day following the Rose Bowl, Meyer made an interesting statement to a question on everyone’s mind.
Asked if he’s finished coaching, Meyer said, “That’s a complicated question,” per Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports.
However, shortly afterward he was pressed on this again and said, “I believe I will not coach again.”
Controversy aside, Meyer is one of the most successful coaches in modern history. During his tenures at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State, he had a win-loss record of 186-32, going 11-3 in bowl games with two BCS titles and a College Football Playoff Championship win.
One big issue at this point in his career is that Meyer has an arachnid cyst in his brain that causes crippling headaches if he is over-stressed. We’ve seen this play out on the field during games, as there have been instances where Meyer has collapsed due to pain.
Meyer: "The style of coaching I've done for 33 years is very intense, very demanding. I tried to delegate more and CEO more and the product started to feel. I didn't feel I was doing right by our players and by Gene. The challenge was could I continue to do that in that style."
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) December 4, 2018
The other big issue that could be a deterrent to Meyer coaching again is obviously of an off-the-field nature.
Meyer said "Sure" when asked if the suspension had some role in his decision.
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) December 4, 2018
He’s been surrounded by scandal at both Florida and Ohio State, and one wonders if the Zach Smith controversy has everything to do with him leaving his current post as the head football coach of the Buckeyes.