Article Highlights:

  • Former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer is back working with Ohio State University once again … sort of
  • The longtime Buckeyes coach recently began working for THE Foundation, the collective founded to further the Buckeyes' Nil (Name, Image, and Likeness) activities
  • There is no reason why Ohio Land should want Meyer anywhere near the Buckeyes later on how his time in Columbus ended

If and when football fans mentioned the idea of a homecoming when the Jacksonville Jaguars fired caput coach Urban Meyer in December 2021, a reunion with Pull a fast one on Sports, his previous employer, made sense. Few, if whatever, would accept expected the longtime college football game icon to return to Ohio Country University, where he and the Buckeyes dominated the Big Ten from 2018-28.

That shows what we know, doesn't it?

Urban Meyer is now working with Ohio State on proper noun, image, and likeness (NIL)

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer in 2021.
Erstwhile Jacksonville Jaguars caput bus Urban Meyer is back at Ohio State | Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Technically speaking, Ohio Land did not rehire Meyer. He is non a coach, he is not working in the athletic department, and he does not have a new role with the university proper.

Instead, he'll be workingwiththe university on NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness). According to the Columbus Dispatch, Meyer recently joined THE Foundation, the commonage founded to further the Buckeyes' Zero activities, and will serve on its board of directors.

Columbus real estate programmer Brian Schottenstein and erstwhile Buckeye quarterback Cardale Jones co-founded THE Foundation earlier this year, and information technology will officially launch later this month. Schottenstein, whose family unit has given a significant amount of money to Ohio State over the years, explained why he brought Meyer into the fold.

"There isn't a better person to have on the board than Coach Urban Meyer. Information technology goes without saying that he's one of the greatest recruiters of educatee-athletes and coaches of all fourth dimension. I appreciate his support and friendship."

Urban Meyer

Former Ohio State quarterback JT Barrett, who played for Meyer from 2013-17 and signed to play in the Canadian Football game League earlier this yr, is also on the board of directors.

There is no reason why Ohio State should want Meyer anywhere most the Buckeyes' program

Schottenstein already has a expert core in place to assist Ohio Land with Zip and any problems that arise in the coming years. Barrett and Jones each played at the school and won a national championship following the 2014 season.

With respect to Meyer, however, his inclusion is a strange i, especially afterwards how things ended in Columbus. Ohio State suspended him for the 2018 season'due south first 3 games for how he handled domestic violence accusations fabricated confronting sometime Buckeyes receivers motorcoach Zach Smith. An independent review determined Meyer and athletic director Gene Smith (no relation to Zach) did non take "sufficient management action" relating to the assistant coach'south misconduct.

Although it may not feel relevant, Meyer's issues with the Jaguars besides shouldn't be glossed over. He continuously made poor off-field decisions, including hiring quondam Iowa strength coach Chris Doyle despite the latter's history of declared bullying and racist behavior, before Jacksonville owner Shad Khan had enough and fired the get-go-year caput autobus after thirteen games.

Forget coaching young men on how to win games. Is Meyerreallythe blazon of person that a school would want to take work with its pupil-athletes on opportunities to profit off their likeness and expand their make?

Meyer barely knows how to proudly stand for himself in ways that don't involve beating Michigan and earning a summit-ten ranking in the final AP Peak 25 poll. The idea of him potentially helping educatee-athletes on how they tin can represent themselves sounds similar a terrible idea.

Meyer already has not-football paths lined up if he doesn't render to dissemination or coaching

As of publication, Meyer had not returned to Fox, nor had in that location been any credible rumors about him taking any type of broadcasting gig. Perchance ESPN, which employed him throughout the 2011 season, could exist in play later this year.

Possibly nearly importantly, there have beenzipcredible reports of him taking any coaching positions. The USFL chose eight other coaches, including longtime Tennessee Titans head bus Jeff Fisher, and the new-look XFL — which is slated to begin play in 2023 — hadn't announced any of its head coaches equally of publication.

If the 57-yr-onetime Meyer doesn't render to broadcasting this twelvemonth, mayhap heisbetter off spending his time away from football. He and his wife, Shelley, already run the Urban and Shelley Meyer Family unit Foundation. The similarly-named Urban and Shelley Meyer Fund for Cancer Inquiry is dedicated to recruiting leading cancer experts to Ohio Country.

For now, Meyer too has his optics set on helping student-athletes profit off their name, image, and likeness. It's non routing Michigan and ending their hopes of a Big ten title booth, but it'll do, specially for the Ohio State players who deserve such an opportunity.

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