Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer , III ( born July 10 , 1964 ) is an American football coach and former player . He is the current head football coach at The Ohio State University , having been hired for the position in November 2011 . Meyer has previously served as the head football coach at Bowling Green State University from 2001 to 2002 , at the University of Utah from 2003 to 2004 , and at the University of Florida from 2005 until his retirement at the end of the 2010 season . He coached the Florida Gators to two BCS National Championship Game victories , during the 2006 and 2008 seasons . Meyer ' s winning percentage through the conclusion of the 2009 season ( . 842 ) was the highest among all active coaches with a minimum of five full seasons at a Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) program . He is a native of Ohio and an alumnus of the University of Cincinnati , where he played college football . During 2011 , he worked as a college football analyst for the television sports network ESPN . Coaching career . In 2004 , Meyer was recognized as the college football " coach of the year " at the University of Utah by both sportswriters ( Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year ) and television commentators ( Home Depot Coach of the Year Award ) . He has twenty years of college coaching experience , including nine as a head coach . His overall record as a head coach through the end of the 2009 season is 96 – 18 , and he is 49 – 14 in conference play . His winning percentage ( . 842 ) through the end of 2009 season ranks first nationally among active college football head coaches . Meyer is a devout Roman Catholic and on several occasions has referred to the head coaching position at the University of Notre Dame as his " dream job , " leading to speculation that he would someday wish to coach there . However , according to a July 2009 newspaper report , Meyer insisted he would never leave Florida for Notre Dame . And when the employment status of Irish coach Charlie Weis came into question in November 2009 , Meyer held a press conference to dispel rumors linking him to the possible opening , stating that he would remain at Florida for " as long as they ' ll have me . " The University of Cincinnati ' s Brian Kelly was eventually hired for the job . On December 26 , 2009 , Meyer announced he would resign following the team ' s bowl game against Cincinnati , citing health concerns . However , the following day Meyer announced that he would instead take an indefinite leave of absence , and he resumed his coaching duties in time for the beginning of the Gators ' spring practice on March 17 , 2010 . Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley announced Meyer ' s resignation as the Gators head football coach on December 8 , 2010 , but stated that Meyer would remain as the head coach through the Gators ' appearance in the Outback Bowl on January 1 , 2011 . On November 28 , 2011 Meyer accepted the head coach position at the Ohio State University . Early coaching career . After playing as a defensive back for the University of Cincinnati , Meyer spent one season interning as a defensive back coach at Saint Xavier High School in Cincinnati , Ohio in 1985 under the mentorship of legendary St . Xavier head coach Steve Rasso , where he met members of the Ohio State coaching staff . His first collegiate coaching position was a two - year stint as a graduate assistant at Ohio State under head coach Earle Bruce . He then spent the next thirteen years as an assistant — two at Illinois State , six at Colorado State , and five at Notre Dame . One of the talents he coached at Colorado State was WR Greg Primus ( 3 , 096 yards and 17 TD in 3 years ) . He put up over 1 , 000 yards receiving from 1990 – 1992 under Meyer ' s tutelage . In 2000 at Notre Dame he coached WR David Givens who would later be drafted by the New England Patriots . In 1990 , while still the linebacker coach at Illinois State , he called Toledo head coach Nick Saban to see if a position was available on his staff . Saban , however , never returned the call . Bowling Green . In 2001 , Meyer took his first head coaching job at Bowling Green . In his first season there , he engineered one of the greatest turnarounds in the NCAA football history , going 8 – 3 and capping off the season with a 56 – 21 victory over Bowling Green ' s rival , the University of Toledo Rockets . He also earned Mid - American Conference coach of the year honors . The next year , Bowling Green finished with a 9 – 3 record . After a 17 – 6 overall record , Meyer left for the University of Utah . He helped turn around a team that had gone 2 – 9 in 2000 in large part due to QB Josh Harris , who would be tailor made for Meyer ' s scheme . In part - time play in 2001 , Harris would throw for 1 , 022 yards with 9 TD and also run for 600 yards and 8 TD . The next year he would throw for 2 , 425 yards with 19 TD and run for 737 yards with 20 TD . The performance of Harris at QB was largely a precursor to how Meyer would utilize such quarterbacks as Alex Smith and Tim Tebow down the road . Utah . After two seasons at Bowling Green , he took the job at Utah in 2003 . In his first year there , Meyer was named the Mountain West Conference ' s Coach of the Year with a 10 – 2 record , the best ever for a coach ' s first season at Utah . He also earned honors as " The Sporting News " National Coach of the Year , the first Utes coach to do so . Meyer ' s success can be attributed to his unique offensive system , which is an offshoot of Bill Walsh ' s West Coast Offense , relying on short pass routes . Meyer ' s base offense spreads three receivers and puts the quarterback in shotgun formation . Then , he introduces motion in the backfield and turns it into an option attack , adding elements of the traditional run - oriented option offense . In 2004 , Meyer led the undefeated Utes to a Bowl Championship Series bid , something that had not been done by a team from a non - automatically qualifying BCS conference since the formation of the BCS in 1998 . He remained at Utah long enough to coach the team to a Fiesta Bowl win over Pittsburgh , capping off the Utes ' first perfect season ( 12 – 0 ) since 1930 . In 2003 , QB Alex Smith threw for 2 , 247 yards with 15 TD vs 3 INT and ran for 452 yards with 5 TD . In 2004 he threw for 2 , 952 yards with 32 TD vs 4 INT and ran for 631 yards with 10 TD . His production in Urban Meyer ' s scheme is a large reason why Smith was considered a 1st round pick entering the 2005 NFL Draft . Florida . In the wake of his accomplishments at Utah , both the University of Florida and the University of Notre Dame vied for his services . Meyer chose to become Florida ' s head coach for the 2005 season , signing a seven - year contract worth $ 14 million . He later signed a six - year contract extension with the Gators on June 7 , 2007 ; the extended contract paid an average of $ 3 . 25 million per year . On August 3 , 2009 , Meyer received another contract extension that made him the SEC ' s highest paid coach during the 2009 season ; his 2009 extension is worth $ 24 million over six years . At the time of the latest contract extension , Meyer was the third highest paid college football coach , behind only Pete Carroll and Charlie Weis . Meyer has been criticized by some commentators because 30 of his players were arrested during his nearly six years as the Gators ' coach . The seriousness of the charges varied widely , from minor offenses such as possession of alcohol by a minor to the charge of possession of a concealed weapon , and many of the charges were ultimately dismissed . Meyer ' s punishments also varied with the severity of the charges , with some players never missing game time and others being kicked off the team . In September 2010 , after Gator receiver Chris Rainey was arrested for sending a threatening text message to a former girlfriend , Meyer stated that he was " real upset about that . After a while , enough ' s enough . If there ' s something that we can improve on , we ' re certainly looking into that . It ' s like if our graduation rate stinks then we gotta improve that . If there ' s other issues in a program , that ' s our job to get it better . It ' s people making stupid mistakes , that ' s something we gotta correct . " 2005 season . In 2005 , his first season at Florida , Meyer ' s Gators team finished the season 9 – 3 ( 5 – 3 in the Southeastern Conference ) . The season included an undefeated record at home and a bowl victory against Iowa in the Outback Bowl in Tampa , Florida . The Gators would have faced LSU in the , but they lost to South Carolina and former Florida coach Steve Spurrier in the SEC regular season finale . 2006 season . In 2006 , Meyer coached the Gators to a 13 – 1 ( 8 – 1 in the SEC ) record , with the one loss coming to the Auburn Tigers . After clinching the SEC East , the Gators won the on December 2 over Arkansas by a score of 38 – 28 . The Gators defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes , 41 – 14 , in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game to win the national championship . It was the first BCS bowl berth for the Gators since the Orange Bowl that capped off the 2001 campaign , and Florida ' s first national championship appearance and victory since winning the 1997 Sugar Bowl . Meyer has been known for winning big games . In addition to his 5 – 1 record in bowl games at Florida , Meyer compiled an 16 – 2 record against three of the Gators ' biggest opponents — Tennessee , Georgia , and Florida State . 2007 season . The Gators managed a 9 – 3 regular season record in 2007 , including blowout wins over rivals Tennessee and FSU but once again losing to Auburn . During his tenure at the University of Florida , Coach Meyer never defeated Auburn . Quarterback Tim Tebow also became Coach Meyer ' s first Heisman Trophy winner . The team led the conference in scoring , but struggles on defense made it difficult for the Gators to reach a BCS bowl game . The Gators lost the to Michigan 41 – 35 on January 1 , 2008 . Meyer served as a pre - game and halftime analyst for the 2008 BCS National Championship Game . 2008 season . In 2008 , Meyer led the Gators to a 13 – 1 overall record and the BCS National Championship over Oklahoma , including wins over six ranked teams . The team ' s lone defeat came at the hands of Mississippi on September 27 , 2008 , a game in which Florida led in time of possession and passing yards , but turned the ball over three times . Eleven of the Gators ' twelve wins in the 2008 regular season were by 20 points or more . On December 6 , 2008 , Meyer led the Gators to a 31 – 20 victory over then No . 1 ranked Alabama in the SEC title game . Leading in time of possession , rushing yards , and passing yards , the Gators would come from behind after a third quarter deficit to score two touchdowns and hold Alabama scoreless in the fourth quarter . The victory would vault Florida to No . 1 in the Associated Press Poll , No . 2 in the USA Today Coaches ' Poll , and No . 2 in the BCS rankings , setting up a showdown against Oklahoma in the BCS Championship Game on January 8 , 2009 , at Dolphin Stadium in Miami , Florida . The Gators won 24 – 14 , securing their second national championship under Meyer . 2009 season . In 2009 , Meyer ' s Gators began the season ranked No . 1 by the largest margin in the history of the AP preseason poll . Though the team struggled on offense at times and quarterback Tim Tebow suffered a scary concussion in a September victory over Kentucky , Florida finished the regular season 12 – 0 and still ranked No . 1 . The winning streak ended in the SEC Championship Game , when they lost 32 – 13 to Alabama . Florida was selected to play the undefeated Cincinnati Bearcats in the 2010 Sugar Bowl . The Gators won 51 – 24 to finish the season with a 13 – 1 record for the second consecutive year . Leave of absence . In the early morning of December 6 , 2009 , soon after returning home following his team ' s loss in the 2009 SEC Championship Game , Meyer was quietly admitted into a Gainesville hospital suffering from chest pains and dehydration . He was released later in the day , and the incident was not announced to the public at the time . On December 26 , after discussions with his family , Meyer revealed his medical scare and announced that he would resign as Florida ' s head coach due to health and family concerns following his team ' s New Years Day Sugar Bowl appearance . Meyer stated : " I have ignored my health for years , but recent developments have forced me to re - evaluate my priorities of faith and family . " He also said : " I ' m proud to be a part of the Gainesville community and the Gator Nation and I plan to remain in Gainesville and involved with the University of Florida . " Meyer admitted that he had suffered frequent chest pains ( later discovered to be caused by esophageal spasms ) and occasional severe headaches due to an arachnoid cyst for years , and that they were related to stress . On December 27 , Meyer announced that he would take an indefinite leave of absence instead of resigning . He was unsure if he would return for the 2010 season but stated that , " I do in my gut believe that will happen . " Offensive coordinator Steve Addazio would serve as the interim coach in Meyer ' s absence . On January 1 , 2010 , Meyer coached the Gators in their 51 – 24 Sugar Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats . In a post - game interview , Meyer again suggested that he would return to coach the Gators at some point by saying : " I plan on being the coach of the Gators . " Meyer took significant time off from his coaching duties after the bowl game in an attempt to improve his personal health . While he did stay in touch with potential new players during the busy recruiting season , Meyer did much less traveling to visit recruits than usual . Nevertheless , the Gators still signed the consensus No . 1 recruiting class in the nation in February . On March 17 , 2010 , Meyer returned full - time to his position for the start of the Gators ' spring practice and continued in that role into the 2010 season . 2010 season . With his victory over Kentucky on September 25 , 2010 , Urban Meyer achieved his 100th career win as a coach . With that win , his record was at 100 – 18 over the course of 10 seasons . He became the sixth fastest NCAA coach to reach that record , following Gil Dobie ( 108 games ) , George Woodruff ( 109 games ) , Bud Wilkinson ( 111 games ) , Fielding Yost ( 114 games ) , and Knute Rockne ( 117 games ) . He was also the second - fastest to reach 100 wins since Wilkinson in 1945 . Despite reaching this milestone , the season was a difficult one for the Gators , and their 7 – 5 regular season record was the worst in Meyer ' s tenure at Florida . On December 8 , 2010 , Meyer again announced his retirement from coaching for much the same reasons he mentioned in December 2009 : his family and his health . Urban Meyer ' s last game as Florida ' s coach was a 37 – 24 win over Penn State in the 2011 Outback Bowl on January 1 , 2011 . ESPN career . After resigning as the head football coach of the Florida Gators , Meyer worked as a college football commentator and analyst for the American television sports network ESPN . Ohio State . On November 23 , 2011 , " The Plain Dealer " reported that Meyer would become the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes . Meyer denied the report publicly . Meyer then asked ESPN to be taken off assignment during the weekend of the Ohio State – Michigan game , adding more to the speculations that he might be named the next head coach of Ohio State . On November 28 , WBNS Columbus , confirmed that Meyer had accepted the job as Ohio State ' s head football coach , and was introduced as head coach later that night . The school said Meyer would receive a six - year contract that pays $ 4 million annually , plus another $ 2 . 4 million total in " retention payments . " Spread offense . Meyer is widely considered one of the most accomplished practitioners of the spread offense . When Meyer got his first head coaching position at Bowling Green , he took trips to visit John L . Smith and Scott Linehan at Louisville , Randy Walker and Kevin Wilson at Northwestern , Bill Snyder at Kansas State , Joe Tiller and Jim Chaney at Purdue , and Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia , all of whom ran some version of the spread offense Meyer ' s teams at Bowling Green , Utah , and Florida all ran the spread , chiefly utilizing a run - first variation most similar to Rich Rodriguez ' s formerly at West Virginia with tweaks to fit the offensive personnel ( for example , Meyer ' s first two years at Florida skewed toward a drop - back passing attack led by Chris Leak , while Tim Tebow led an option run - based spread ( as did Alex Smith at Utah ) . Using this offense , he has won two BCS titles , has become the first coach to lead a non - BCS conference team ( Utah ) to a BCS bowl , has coached a Heisman trophy winner ( Tim Tebow ) , and has graduated a player who became a number one overall pick in the NFL draft ( Alex Smith ) . Personal life . Meyer was born on July 10 , 1964 in Toledo , Ohio , and grew up in Ashtabula , Ohio . He graduated from Ashtabula ' s Saint John High School in 1982 . Meyer was also selected in the 13th round , as a shortstop , by the Atlanta Braves in the 1982 Major League Baseball Draft . Meyer spent two seasons playing minor league baseball in the Braves organization . He concurrently played defensive back at the University of Cincinnati before earning his bachelor ' s degree in psychology in 1986 . During his undergraduate studies , Meyer also became a brother of the Sigma Chi Fraternity ( Zeta Psi Chapter ) , and met his future wife at Sigma Chi ' s Derby Days philanthropy event . Meyer went on to earn his master ' s degree in sports administration at the Ohio State University in 1988 . Meyer married Shelley Mather Meyer in 1986 . The Meyers have three children : Nicole ( " Nicki " ) , Gisela ( " Gigi " ) and Nathan ( " Nate " ) . His two daughters currently play Division I volleyball : Nicki plays for Georgia Tech and Gigi plays for Florida Gulf Coast . He is a practicing Roman Catholic . Philanthropy . In October 2008 , coach Urban Meyer and University of Florida head basketball coach Billy Donovan were named co - chairmen of an effort to raise $ 50 million to support the Florida Opportunity Scholars Program . This scholarship was designed for first - generation students that have unique needs and financial challenges . The Florida Opportunity Scholars Program was created by President Bernie Machen in 2006 , and is intended to increase the opportunities for academically prepared first - generation students . In December 2008 , Meyer and Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham were the first people to donate money to the Elder Joseph B . Wirthlin Family Scholarship , an endowed scholarship which will benefit the Utah football program .