Urban Meyer To Ohio State: Sources Say It’s Happening
Former Florida Gators’ head coach Urban Meyer will be the next head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Since breaking the possibility of it happening in the first place, Eleven Warriors has reported that Ohio State sources are confirming Meyer as the next coach. An official announcement should come next week.
As this story has taken off, many Florida fans have reacted with anger and even hatred toward the man that quit on the Gators briefly after the 2009 season and for good after the 2010 one. That hatred is placed on the belief that Meyer left Florida in worse shape than he found it. To that I say try to focus on the positive, if you can.
Meyer’s separation from the University of Florida was far from ideal. Depending on what you believe, he may have been talked into returning for the 2010 season by a number of individuals that felt he would truly miss coaching too much. On the other side of the coin, some have speculated he did so only to keep that year’s recruiting class together. Regardless, he returned for a less than acceptable season by Florida standards of late. The offense sputtered and everything appeared disjointed. In the end, we were faced with another resignation and the appearance of a man jumping ship when the going got tough.
Why Meyer left after the 2010 season is anyone’s guess, and people have definitely tried to pin down a reason. Those of us in his corner wanted to believe he truly did leave to take care of his health and spend more time with his family; both things we now question after one year with ESPN before returning to the coaching ranks. What we do know is this: Meyer was never done. If you truly thought Meyer would never return to a sideline, you were kidding yourself. Even during the greatest times of his tenure at Florida there was speculation of when and how he would end up at Ohio State or with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. We felt those were his “dream” schools and being the Gators’ head coach was merely a step in the process to taking over one of those programs. With Brian Kelly afforded more time in South Bend while Ohio State looked for a permanent replacement for Jim Tressel, it became clear which school might pursue Meyer first.
That school has now got their man and the former Florida head coach is moving on. The word former is bolded because of its meaning, as in the past. I won’t tell you how to feel as a fan; you’ve earned the right to cheer for what you wish and tear down what you’re against. Those are part of the rules of being a fan. If you hate Meyer for what you feel he did to the Gators, that’s your right. But I ask myself why. Why does it matter? Why would it bother me so much?
The answer is that it wouldn’t and it doesn’t. I do find it interesting that he is returning to coaching after only one year. I also openly wonder if he found what he was seeking in terms of health and family, but at the same time I choose to focus on a few specific things: 2006, 2008 and Will Muschamp. Call me naïve – I’m really okay with that – I choose to remember the difference between Florida pre-Meyer – one national championship – and post-Meyer – three. I also choose to focus on the current head coach of the Gators – Muschamp. If you’re right as a fan is to hate the man, my right is to attempt to focus on the positive and feel overwhelmingly neutral about the entire situation.
Meyer wasn’t returning to Florida and that might actually be a good thing given the circumstances at the time. He has moved on and I choose to as well. I’ll remember the good, the bad, the great and the downright awful, but it’ll all be just that – memories. I don’t despise the man because I don’t see the point or the purpose behind that. For now, I see him for what he is: the new Ohio State head coach.