The former coach of Florida and Ohio native will take over in Ohio State, a program with a glittering past that has suffered through a difficult year of NCAA violations, suspensions and a record of 6-6.
The University scheduled a press conference to introduce the 17:15 his new coach. But did not mention Meyer, although there are numerous reports that Meyer has already decided on a multi-year contract that he could pay nearly 6 million dollars a year.
After the wild speculation for weeks about Meyer and Ohio State, ESPN reported Monday morning that the two sides had reached an agreement. Meyer was a game analyst for the network for the past year.
Meyer has won two national championships in six years as head coach at Florida. He left the Gators a year ago, citing health concerns and the desire to spend more time with his family. Now, the 47-year-old will return to the place where his college coaching career began in 1986.
Earle Bruce, who was the head coach at Ohio State when Meyer was Assistant, has remained a close friend and confidant of Meyer through the years. He said he had no concerns for health problems of Meyer.
"Well, if he had had a heart attack and his heart was bad, I'd be worried that," Bruce 70 years said on Monday. "I'm not worried that he was stressed out over football because he was thinking too much and not doing some things (exercise) that would have kept him straight. I think everything back under control he got from sitting out a year. I think I missed football. And he's good at it. "
Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith and other University officials have not responded to requests for comment. There are reports that a meeting of team set for Sunday night was moved to Monday afternoon before the news conference.
Meyer takes over a program that was hit by several suspensions and the forced resignation of coach Jim Tressel. the Buckeyes finished 6-6 season under interim Luke Fickell with a 40-34 loss to rival Michigan on Saturday.
In 10 seasons as head coach — two in Bowling Green, two in Utah and six in Florida — Meyer has a record of 104-23, winning three national coach of the year awards. Its teams are 7-1 in Bowl games, including 41-14 victory over the Gators on the undefeated and top-ranked Ohio State in the Bowl Championship Series title game 2007. They are also 4-0 in BCS bowl games.
Meyer had persistently denied all the talk that surrounds him and Ohio State University. Immediately after Tressel was pressured to resign, Meyer said he was not interested in leaving ESPN, where he was a College football analyst.
"I'm committed to ESPN and will not prosecute any coaching opportunity this fall," he said in a statement issued the day after Tressel lost his job. Just last week said work had not been offered to him, neither he pursued one.
His comments came amid weeks of speculation, which was the first choice of Ohio State to take over at the Ohio State University.
Meyer inherits a program that has yet to face NCAA sanctions. But he also inherits a young team headed by a freshman quarterback, Braxton Miller, which would seem to be a perfect fit for his spread offense.
Meyer's native Ashtabula, Ohio, became the head coach at Ohio State 24. He succeeds Fickell, who took over last spring, when 10-year Tressel reign came crashing down. Tressel was forced out for know, but not saying, his superiors that the players were probably Buckeyes broke NCAA rules taking cash and free tattoos or discounted by the subject of an investigation of drug trafficking.
Tressel was forced to resign on 30 May. Missing several top players because of suspensions NCAA derive mess of tattoo, the Buckeyes have been hit with suspension when three players accept $ 200 cash for participating in a charity event and others were forced to sit out or had their existing suspension extended to be overpaid for summer jobs.
.500 Record of Ohio State marked more losses to Ohio State as John Cooper 1999 team also went to 6-6 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten.
the Buckeyes had already lost their string of six Big Ten titles when the school was forced to leave the season 2010 for NCAA violations. The school also has a self-imposed two-year NCAA probation, offered to return $ 339,000 in the Bowl revenue by 2010 and to give up to five scholarships over the next three seasons.
Ohio State is awaiting final word from
No comments:
Post a Comment