Urban Meyer will become an assistant athletic director at Ohio State following his retirement as the school’s head coach, according to a report.
Athletic director Gene Smith told Cleveland.com on Saturday of the decision. He elected against providing any additional details, however.
Meyer announced earlier this month that he would retire from coaching after the Buckeyes play Washington in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. He will be succeeded by Ryan Day, who was the team’s interim coach while Meyer served a three-game suspension to start the 2018 season.
The 54-year-old Meyer posted a 92-9 mark overall and 54-4 record in seven seasons at Ohio State. He has a national title following the 2014 season, three Big Ten championships and seven division titles (shared or outright) under his belt.
Meyer also owns a sparkling 7-0 mark against bitter rival Michigan, with the last three wins coming against Jim Harbaugh.
Meyer has retired before, stepping down as Florida’s head coach in 2010 before being hired by Ohio State in 2011.
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.
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.
