Urban Meyer is retiring as Ohio State’s head coach after the Rose Bowl, and offensive coordinator Ryan Day will assume that position beginning Jan. 2, the school announced Tuesday morning.
Meyer formally announced the move at a news conference on Tuesday with Day and athletic director Gene Smith by his side in Columbus, Ohio.
Meyer has retired before, stepping down as Florida’s head coach in 2010 before being hired by Ohio State in 2011.
Whether Meyer will return to coaching following this retirement was a subject of his Tuesday press conference.
“I believe I will not coach again,” said Meyer, who added he was “certain” of that.
He was asked earlier whether he was done coaching, and his answer did not entirely address the issue.
“It’s a complicated question, and I’ll try to answer it the best I can,” Meyer said with a smile. “This is home. This is where I grew up. It isn’t healthy but I came to work every day with fear of letting people like Archie Griffith and the our great state of Ohio down because this is home. I’m a graduate of Ohio State. We have the best fans in the land, and I didn’t want to let them down.
“In 2014, I had that surgery and it recurred last year. I started dealing with some issues last year. I hired Ryan Day because I thought he was very good coach.
“My witnessing of the work Ryan has done made this decision not as difficult as I thought.”
Meyer said he hopes to stay involved in the Ohio State athletic department.
“God has a plan; I’m not quite sure what that is,” Meyer said.
The 54-year-old Meyer has served as coach of the Buckeyes for the past seven years, posting a 92-9 mark overall and 54-4 record in Big Ten play with seven division titles (shared or outright), three conference championships and a national championship after the 2014 season. He also owns a sparkling 7-0 mark against bitter rival Michigan, with the last three wins coming against Jim Harbaugh.
Meyer owns a 186-32 record as a college head coach at Ohio State, Florida, Utah and Bowling Green with three national championships and seven conference championships.
Meyer has battled the effects of an arachnoid cyst on his brain, which causes severe headaches, especially when under stress. The cyst was diagnosed in 1998 but worsened the past few years.
During the Buckeyes’ win over Indiana on Oct. 6, Meyer could be seen doubling over in pain from an ongoing headache issue. That led to questions about his future in coaching.
Meyer underwent surgery ahead of Ohio State’s 2014 national championship run to remove fluid and reduce pressure in his brain. He had two holes drilled in his head in the procedure, but the problem was not solved.
A Football Scoop report last week detailed that Meyer would not coach past the 2019 season and that Day would assume the role. Meyer declined to comment when asked about the report.
Day is in his second season with the Buckeyes after previously working for Chip Kelly with the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. He turned down college head-coaching opportunities and the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator job after the 2017 season.
The 39-year-old Day was the Buckeyes’ interim head coach for the first three games of the season as Meyer served a three-game suspension handed down from the university. The latter’s ban stemmed from his handling of the employment and domestic assault allegations dealing with former wide receivers coach Zach Smith.
Zach Smith was fired in July after a pre-trial hearing on a charge of criminal trespassing and a report detailing domestic violence allegations from his then-wife, Courtney Smith, in 2009 and 2015. Zach Smith was arrested in the 2009 incident.
“That was a very difficult time,” Meyer said. “I have had to deal with headaches for many years and it came to a head in 2014 and again last year and this year. As difficult time as that was, it didn’t have as much of an impact as the headaches, but it did have an impact.”
Did the suspension impact his legacy?
“I’m sure it will.,” he said. “I can lie to you and say it is not important to me, but it is.”
Day led the Buckeyes to a 3-0 record, as the team rolled up 169 points in wins over Oregon State, Rutgers and TCU.
After his first season in Columbus, Ohio State promoted Day to offensive coordinator, signed him a three-year contract and made him the school’s first $1 million assistant.
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith was asked why he did not undertake a national search to choose Meyer’s successor.
“I’m blessed,” Smith said. “As I said earlier, it is rare to have the opportunity to create a succession plan where you have the right person in place. … We were fortunate but we recognized the talent Ryan Day had early.”
Meyer also stepped down on two occasions as Florida’s coach, with the last time being in 2010. After spending 2011 in an ESPN broadcast booth, Meyer accepted the Ohio State job on Nov. 28, 2011.
Meyer said conversations about how long he would coach began in 2014 and became more serious last year.
In a prepared statement to begin the press conference, Meyer didn’t use the word retire:
“I’m honored to have represented my home state and this great university the past seven seasons. I want to thank Buckeye Nation, our students and faculty, our state high school coaches, Gene Smith for giving me this opportunity, awesome family, and, most importantly, our staff and student-athlete for all they have done.
“My goal has always been to make this the premier and most comprehensive programs in America. It was always a goal to see a healthy strong program handed to an elite coach and person to make it even better. I want to congratulate Ryan Day and his family.”
“We’ve worked extremely hard to make the great state of Ohio, the community – including the alumni and former players – and Buckeye Nation very proud.”
