PASADENA, Calif. — In the wake of Ohio State‘s victory in the Rose Bowl, Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer reaffirmed his belief that he has coached his last football game.
“I know this is relatively young, but I started young, 17 years as a head coach, 33 years doing this,” Meyer, 54, said. “And just very fortunate, and I do believe I’m done.”
That was music to the ears of his wife, Shelley, who also expressed her desire for him to remain out of the coaching profession after the Buckeyes’ 28-23 win against Washington.
“I would be ecstatic if he didn’t [coach again]. I’m done. I want him to be done. He’s too intense,” Shelley Meyer said, adding she thought his new role as an assistant athletic director will be a good fit because it will keep him busy and around the program’s players.
In seven years leading Ohio State, Meyer compiled a record of 83-9 and was 187-32 over the course of stops at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida before landing in Columbus. Offensive coordinator Ryan Day will officially take over as the Buckeyes head coach on Wednesday.
Day said he doesn’t have any single immediate priority to address once his title change is official, only that he’ll have the team convene for a meeting on Jan. 7 to set the direction for the offseason.
“Just because it has been a couple week of works. I’ve been out recruiting,” Day said. “It’s been coming, it’s not like it just hit me.”
The next major order of business for Ohio State will be to learn quarterback Dwayne Haskins’ decision regarding the NFL draft. Haskins has a chance to be the first quarterback selected in the NFL draft, and said after the game he has a lot of time to settle on a decision.
“Working with my family and teammates and coaches to figure out what’s best for me,” he said. “But right now I’m excited to get this win. Excited to leave Coach with this victory for myself and the rest of the teammates. It’s a blessed situation right now.”
Haskins completed 25 of 37 passes for 251 yards with three touchdowns in the win.