COLUMBUS — The Ohio State University announced on Tuesday that head football coach Urban Meyer would be retiring after the Rose Bowl on January 1 and offensive coordinator Ryan Day would move forward as the Buckeyes’ new head coach. On Tuesday afternoon, both Meyer and Day spoke with reporters, as did athletic director Gene Smith. Here are the highlights of what was said and how things went down.
Gene Smith
+ “This is a great time in our history to recognize a coach in our family…and also to welcome in a new leader.
+ Smith knew early on that Meyer would be a game changer as OSU’s head coach, but he went beyond expectations.
+ Meyer has elevated the entire Big Ten with his approach and leadership.
+ Meyer is a tireless leader of men on and off the field. Meyer has left the program better than he found it.
+ Smith supports Meyer’s decision to step aside but looks forward to his contributions in different ways in the years ahead. Both Urban and his wife Shelley have been great members in the community.
+ Smith looks forward to working with Meyer in his “new capacity.”
+ Smith thanks both Urban and Shelley personally and professionally.
+ “We’re fortunate to be welcoming Ryan Day into our head coaching family. We all know the tremendous job he did in a challenging time. He offers us some terrific, terrific skill and talent. We’re just so fortunate that he was here. He has proven that he is ready for this challenge.”
+ Day appreciates the profile of the student athletes that they want to recruit. The infrastructure is in place to continue in a positive direction.
+ Day’s background has uniquely prepared him for this opportunity
Urban Meyer
+ Honored to represent Ohio State for the last seven seasons.
+ Meyer thanked Gene Smith as well as his own “awesome family.”
+ “I want to congratulate Ryan Day and his family.”
+ Meyer looks forward for Rose Bowl prep. It’s always been a dream to represent the Big Ten in that game.
Ryan Day
+ Day thanks Gene Smith and then Urban and Shelley Meyer. “Your legacy will live on here forever.” Meyer can now sit in the box during the games and yell at them for going for it or not going for it.
+ “The only way you succeed in this profession is to have a family that sacrifices.” That’s what Day’s family has done.
+ This opportunity would not be possible without the currently leaders on the Ohio State football team. They are all part of something special and it was started by Urban Meyer.
+ To the fans, he is going to do everything he can to continue the winning tradition. He has fallen in love with Ohio State and Buckeye Nation.
+ To the high school coaches in Ohio, this state has the best coaches and players in the nation. It is the coaching staff’s responsibility to continue to keep those players home.
Question and Answer Period
+ Day learned quickly that the most important thing is to win the Michigan game, and then every other game as well.
+ On the field, the offense will meld to the talent on hand. The defense will be aggressive with multiple fronts. Sound and simple, so they can play fast.
+ Every coach who has put a whistle around their neck has wanted to be the head coach at Ohio State.
+ Gene Smith said there was no need for a national search because they had their guy already on staff. “You hope that you have that opportunity. We recognized the talent that Ryan Day had early.” “He had an opportunity to audition.” He showed how he could lead a football program, staff, and everyone else around him. He also brings consistency.
+ When did Gene Smith know that Ryan Day was the guy? “A couple of weeks ago.” Every Sunday, Smith and Meyer talk, and over the last month or so they had begun talking about transition plans. Smith was looking at national candidates at that time, but the more he looked, the more comfortable he felt with Day. “Our program does not need disruption.”
+ Is Urban Meyer at peace with this? “It’s a complicated question.” “This is home. This is where I grew up.” He came to work every day with the fear of letting people at OSU down. He had health issues in 2014, which returned last year.
+ Ryan Day is far beyond the coach that Meyer thought he was when he hired him. “My witnessing of the work that Ryan has done, it made this decision not as difficult as I thought.” The program is healthy. This is a very unique place.
+ Meyer doesn’t have any plans to “vanish” from the scene.
+ The summer before the season was a very difficult time for Urban Meyer. Did it contribute to the headaches? Not really.
+ Meyer said there are many things about Day that makes him the right guy for the job. This is a complicated position that requires the ability to manage people. “You have to have genuine love and care for the student athlete.” It can’t just be knowing their name or number, you have to know their families and know them as people. When you show them that, they will move mountains for you.
+ The Penn State game last year hit him very hard in terms of the headaches. That’s when the conversations about his future really started. But there was also a conversation about it in 2014. First he had conversations with the doctors. They came through it pretty good. Last year was tougher and so was this year.
+ Jim Tressel is a dear friend per Meyer. He knew that there would be good players and better people on the team when he took over in 2012.
+ “This would be a really tough day if we were a mess.”
+ How daunting is this task for Ryan Day? He is very humbled to be taking over for Urban Meyer, but the footprint and infrastructure is very strong and gives him great confidence. Walking in his shoes at the start of the year gave him a new experience.
+ Day said they are busy right now, so he declined to answer questions about the future of the staff but said they would evaluate things after the bowl game.
+ Meyer said this has been a difficult decision, but things have made it less difficult. “This profession we’ve chosen is so fragile.” Meyer doesn’t know the exact time when he knew, but after the Michigan game it crossed his mind. When recruits started asking if he would be around for the next four or five years, that got to him as well. “That pushed a little push on it.” He didn’t want to mislead recruits and both Meyer and Gene know Day is the guy to lead the program forward.
+ Meyer told some recruits that this would be happening, and they were over the top with Ryan Day.
+ Meyer called in Terry McLaurin and Parris Campbell to his office and they talked for about an hour last night.
+ “I believe I will not coach again.” Meyer expects to stay in Columbus. He loves it here. The relationship with Gene Smith is great. “I believe in Ohio State. I believe in the spirit when I walk around this campus. And I believe in our new head coach.”
+ How does Meyer want his tenure to be remembered? “It’s not my tenure, it’s our tenure. We did it the right way.” You have to be a tough guy to be at Ohio State. “You have to place a premium on education and you have to win every game that you play.” You have to embrace that. Not every place is like this. Average is not acceptable.
+ “No chance” Meyer thinks he could have taken over Ohio State as his first head coaching job. Day has been knee deep in it at OSU, however.
+ Ryan Day will be the head coach out recruiting. Meyer will visit recruits who are on campus.
+ After they get done here, Day will be on the road recruiting and putting his face in homes. “Excited to get on the road.”
+ The style of coaching that Meyer has done is very intense and demanding. Meyer has tried to delegate more, but the product started to fail. The challenge was if he could continue to coach like he does.
+ Day said there is no place that takes care of student athletes as well as Ohio State does.
+ Meyer’s decision was the result of an accumulation of events. The summer ordeal was part of that accumulation.
+ Asked how the players will react and prepare for the Rose Bowl, Meyer said they had a great meeting this morning with the team because it is a concern. The team loves Ryan Day. The defensive players don’t know him as well as they will, but the offensive guys all swear by him.
+ Gene Smith told Meyer this morning that if he didn’t want to do this, Smith would pull the plug right now and they’d cancel the press conference.
+ Meyer’s advice to Day is to be himself. That was advice that Meyer received from Lou Holtz. Players are too smart to know if you are faking who you are.
+ Beating Michigan for a seventh time in seven years is one of the greatest moments in Urban and Shelley’s lives. Bob Davie told him a long time ago to pick a time in each game to enjoy a moment.
+ Day said he has wanted this job since he was younger and watched Ohio State and Michigan on his family’s couch. It was an easy decision when it was offered but his family had a long talk last night about what this means for them moving forward.
+ Meyer’s legacy is his players and the relationships. He wants 100% job placement of his players to be his legacy, as well as the way they represented this university.
+ Gene and Urban have talked about Meyer’s future moving forward. Columbus is home. Urban hopes to have an impact on the student athletes at OSU moving forward.
+ Day said Meyer will always be a resource for him and however much he wants to be involved Day will welcome it.
I wonder what Urban saw in regards to his quote about “tried to delegate more, but the product started to fail.” There have been some losses, sure, but very few, it’s not like thing fell apart to a 8-4 season. Will Day be a hands-on guy like Meyer or more of a delegator?
Make Urban Recruiting Coordinator ……
Please bring back Chris Ash!
So how long until UM replace GS?
Ryan Day will make the decision to keep Greg Schiano or not after the Rose Bowl.
Great observation, Michael.