Josh Dooley
Guest
You’re Nuts: ‘What If’ Urban Meyer kept coaching at Ohio State?
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Where would the Buckeyes be now?
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Since taking over on a full-time basis in 2019, Ryan Day is 53-8 as the head football coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. He has guided his team(s) to three College Football Playoff appearances in five seasons, won a Sugar Bowl and a Rose Bowl, and boasts one of college football’s best winning percentages against ranked opponents (among active coaches). So by most measures, Day has been very, very, very successful in Columbus. He also seems to be a genuinely good dude, for whatever that’s worth.
But thanks to Day’s record against Michigan, as well as his lack of championships – B1G or otherwise – he is also viewed by some as a coach who inherited a great program and has since failed to meet the standard and/or expectations. Whether this is true or not, I don’t really know. I mean, Ohio State has won two national titles since 1970, so the whole championship or bust thing is... You know what? I’m not doing this. Getting back to my intro...
Day’s predecessor, Urban Meyer, compiled a ridiculous 83-9 record in Columbus, arguably raising the “standard” (eye roll) and establishing OSU as one of the top two, three, four programs in all of CFB. Which is still the case today. The latter took things to another level with his dominance of TTUN – and by default the B1G – as well as his postseason success. Meyer went 5-2 in bowls with the Buckeyes, obviously highlighted by winning the first CFP in 2014/15.
What’s the point of this little history lesson? Only to recap the past decade or so and remind those with amnesia and/or total memory loss that Meyer eventually passed the torch to Day, leading us to where we are now... Now, as in the second week of June, otherwise known as What If week here at LGHL.
Embracing said theme, Gene and I decided to try and imagine what would have happened if Meyer had continued coaching (Ohio State) after the 2018 season. What if he never passed the sticks to Day when he did?
In my mind, one of two things happens: 1) Meyer coaches through the pandemic and then handpicks Day as his successor prior to the 2021 season. Or 2) Meyer coaches through the 2022 season, Day leaves post-pandemic, and Luke Fickell gets the OSU job prior to 2023. Either way, I just don’t see any scenario in which Meyer is still coaching football – at any level – in 2024.
Those are the macros, and here are micro What Ifs... Or something like that:
If Day takes over prior to the 2021 season, I think everything is pretty much the same as it is today. At least for him and the Buckeyes. But I also think that Meyer would have won another national title in ’19 or ’20, giving him and the Ohio State program a bit of a boost reputation-wise. Other than that, not much changes here.
If Meyer continues coaching through 2022, I think Day follows Justin Fields to the NFL as the offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears. In Chicago, Day and Fields produce fireworks, eventually leading to an NFL HC gig for Day and a big second contract for Fields.
As a result (of above), Fickell returns home and takes his dream job coaching OSU prior to the 2023 season. Not sure how Fick would fare in Columbus, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out eventually...
Other trickle-down effects of Meyer coaching the Buckeyes until 2023 include Jim Harbaugh being fired at Michigan and that program not winning a natty, Chris Holtmann being fired as Ohio State’s men’s basketball coach much sooner (because his program is now even further behind football), and the Jacksonville Jaguars winning Super Bowl LVII (2022 season).
I’m sure that I am right about all of these, Gene. But go ahead and give it your best shot.
Full transparency — I am not a huge fan of Urban Meyer. While I respect what he did for Ohio State football and what he did to help build the program to where it is today as a national powerhouse, including winning a national title, his off-field issues as well as his tendency later in his career to suffer inexplicable embarrassing losses to inferior opponents (Iowa in 2017, Purdue in 2018, etc.). I also think he fumbled the bag tremendously with the loss to Michigan State in 2015, but I digress...
Like Josh, I don't think there is any conceivable world where Meyer would still be the headman of the Buckeyes, even if the health issues/scandals didn’t exist. The game is wildly different than when Meyer was at the height of his powers, both on the field and in the recruiting world between the transfer portal and NIL. I don't think a man who started his head coaching career in 2001 would navigate the current waters all that well, and so even if his tenure didn’t end after 2018 when it did, I agree that he would be gone by now regardless.
The one positive had Meyer stayed is that Ohio State likely continued its dominance over Michigan. The Buckeyes enjoyed a 7-0 run against their biggest rival under the previous regime, and while Ryan Day made that 8-0 with a win in 2019, Ohio State has not defeated TTUN since. The Wolverines ducking the game in 2020 during the COVID season played a large part in resetting the rivalry, but Meyer’s understanding of the stakes and focus he instilled in his team in winning The Game was second-to-none.
As Josh laid out, this probably results in the firing of Jim harbaugh at Michigan, and who knows where that program would be now or who would be leading them. Even after winning a national title, the recruiting for the Wolverines heading into its first full season has not exactly been stellar — TTUN currently has the No. 51 ranked class in 2025 with five total commits, four of which are outside the top-200 nationally — although they’d likely trade the next several seasons for that title anyway (as would I), so I doubt their fans care too much right now.
I do, however, think the negatives would outweigh the positives. While Day has had his struggles as the head ball coach, the staff he currently has built in Columbus would be tough to compete with. Another big flaw of Meyer’s later years was his propensity to hire his friends, which is how you wind up with Billy Davis as your linebackers coach. This group comprised of Brian Hartline, Tim Walton, James Laurinaitis, Jim Knowles and others is one of the top staffs in the country, and I don't think Meyer would have anything quite like it.
The on-field coaching would have to change a bit too, and I don't think Meyer would be willing to transition into more of a CEO role that seems to be required in today’s college football landscape. I doubt he would be interested in letting others take the reins of the actual day-to-day football stuff so that he could deal with NIL packages and keeping his players from entering the transfer portal, on top of all the other duties. Maybe I’m wrong and maybe he would adapt with the sport, but these are all huge changes from when Meyer was in charge.
I have been outspoken that I am not a huge fan of Day. I think he’s probably a really good dude and his recruiting is tough to argue against, but I need to see the results on the field. Especially heading into 2024, this team is far too talented to suffer from the same mistakes that have plagued the last several seasons. Still, I think he puts Ohio State in a better position to win right now than someone like Urban Meyer would.
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Where would the Buckeyes be now?
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
This week’s topic: What If Urban Meyer kept coaching at Ohio State?
Josh’s Take
Since taking over on a full-time basis in 2019, Ryan Day is 53-8 as the head football coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. He has guided his team(s) to three College Football Playoff appearances in five seasons, won a Sugar Bowl and a Rose Bowl, and boasts one of college football’s best winning percentages against ranked opponents (among active coaches). So by most measures, Day has been very, very, very successful in Columbus. He also seems to be a genuinely good dude, for whatever that’s worth.
But thanks to Day’s record against Michigan, as well as his lack of championships – B1G or otherwise – he is also viewed by some as a coach who inherited a great program and has since failed to meet the standard and/or expectations. Whether this is true or not, I don’t really know. I mean, Ohio State has won two national titles since 1970, so the whole championship or bust thing is... You know what? I’m not doing this. Getting back to my intro...
Day’s predecessor, Urban Meyer, compiled a ridiculous 83-9 record in Columbus, arguably raising the “standard” (eye roll) and establishing OSU as one of the top two, three, four programs in all of CFB. Which is still the case today. The latter took things to another level with his dominance of TTUN – and by default the B1G – as well as his postseason success. Meyer went 5-2 in bowls with the Buckeyes, obviously highlighted by winning the first CFP in 2014/15.
What’s the point of this little history lesson? Only to recap the past decade or so and remind those with amnesia and/or total memory loss that Meyer eventually passed the torch to Day, leading us to where we are now... Now, as in the second week of June, otherwise known as What If week here at LGHL.
Embracing said theme, Gene and I decided to try and imagine what would have happened if Meyer had continued coaching (Ohio State) after the 2018 season. What if he never passed the sticks to Day when he did?
In my mind, one of two things happens: 1) Meyer coaches through the pandemic and then handpicks Day as his successor prior to the 2021 season. Or 2) Meyer coaches through the 2022 season, Day leaves post-pandemic, and Luke Fickell gets the OSU job prior to 2023. Either way, I just don’t see any scenario in which Meyer is still coaching football – at any level – in 2024.
Those are the macros, and here are micro What Ifs... Or something like that:
If Day takes over prior to the 2021 season, I think everything is pretty much the same as it is today. At least for him and the Buckeyes. But I also think that Meyer would have won another national title in ’19 or ’20, giving him and the Ohio State program a bit of a boost reputation-wise. Other than that, not much changes here.
If Meyer continues coaching through 2022, I think Day follows Justin Fields to the NFL as the offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears. In Chicago, Day and Fields produce fireworks, eventually leading to an NFL HC gig for Day and a big second contract for Fields.
As a result (of above), Fickell returns home and takes his dream job coaching OSU prior to the 2023 season. Not sure how Fick would fare in Columbus, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out eventually...
Other trickle-down effects of Meyer coaching the Buckeyes until 2023 include Jim Harbaugh being fired at Michigan and that program not winning a natty, Chris Holtmann being fired as Ohio State’s men’s basketball coach much sooner (because his program is now even further behind football), and the Jacksonville Jaguars winning Super Bowl LVII (2022 season).
I’m sure that I am right about all of these, Gene. But go ahead and give it your best shot.
Gene’s Take
Full transparency — I am not a huge fan of Urban Meyer. While I respect what he did for Ohio State football and what he did to help build the program to where it is today as a national powerhouse, including winning a national title, his off-field issues as well as his tendency later in his career to suffer inexplicable embarrassing losses to inferior opponents (Iowa in 2017, Purdue in 2018, etc.). I also think he fumbled the bag tremendously with the loss to Michigan State in 2015, but I digress...
Like Josh, I don't think there is any conceivable world where Meyer would still be the headman of the Buckeyes, even if the health issues/scandals didn’t exist. The game is wildly different than when Meyer was at the height of his powers, both on the field and in the recruiting world between the transfer portal and NIL. I don't think a man who started his head coaching career in 2001 would navigate the current waters all that well, and so even if his tenure didn’t end after 2018 when it did, I agree that he would be gone by now regardless.
The one positive had Meyer stayed is that Ohio State likely continued its dominance over Michigan. The Buckeyes enjoyed a 7-0 run against their biggest rival under the previous regime, and while Ryan Day made that 8-0 with a win in 2019, Ohio State has not defeated TTUN since. The Wolverines ducking the game in 2020 during the COVID season played a large part in resetting the rivalry, but Meyer’s understanding of the stakes and focus he instilled in his team in winning The Game was second-to-none.
As Josh laid out, this probably results in the firing of Jim harbaugh at Michigan, and who knows where that program would be now or who would be leading them. Even after winning a national title, the recruiting for the Wolverines heading into its first full season has not exactly been stellar — TTUN currently has the No. 51 ranked class in 2025 with five total commits, four of which are outside the top-200 nationally — although they’d likely trade the next several seasons for that title anyway (as would I), so I doubt their fans care too much right now.
I do, however, think the negatives would outweigh the positives. While Day has had his struggles as the head ball coach, the staff he currently has built in Columbus would be tough to compete with. Another big flaw of Meyer’s later years was his propensity to hire his friends, which is how you wind up with Billy Davis as your linebackers coach. This group comprised of Brian Hartline, Tim Walton, James Laurinaitis, Jim Knowles and others is one of the top staffs in the country, and I don't think Meyer would have anything quite like it.
The on-field coaching would have to change a bit too, and I don't think Meyer would be willing to transition into more of a CEO role that seems to be required in today’s college football landscape. I doubt he would be interested in letting others take the reins of the actual day-to-day football stuff so that he could deal with NIL packages and keeping his players from entering the transfer portal, on top of all the other duties. Maybe I’m wrong and maybe he would adapt with the sport, but these are all huge changes from when Meyer was in charge.
I have been outspoken that I am not a huge fan of Day. I think he’s probably a really good dude and his recruiting is tough to argue against, but I need to see the results on the field. Especially heading into 2024, this team is far too talented to suffer from the same mistakes that have plagued the last several seasons. Still, I think he puts Ohio State in a better position to win right now than someone like Urban Meyer would.
Continue reading...