On Saturday, No. 6 Ohio State will face No. 21 Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game.
According to a new report, it could prove to be one of Urban Meyer's final games as the Buckeyes' head coach.
On Friday, FootballScoop.com reported that while he has become a hot commodity on the coaching circuit, Ohio State offensive coordinator Ryan Day isn't expected to leave Columbus anytime soon. That's because he likely has a big raise coming his way -- as well as an understanding that he will succeed Meyer as the Buckeyes' head coach when the 3-time national champion's Ohio State career comes to an end.
That time will likely be sooner rather than later. According to FootballScoop, Meyer has already told Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith that he doesn't plan on coaching past the 2019 season.
Per the website:
"Sources tell FootballScoop Ohio State is taking Ryan Day off the job market, with a significant raise coming and with the (most likely) unwritten understanding that he is in line to become head coach once Urban steps down. What’s that you say? Urban stepping down? So about that…
"While Urban has stated repeatedly publicly that he plans to coach next year, sources tell FootballScoop that the Ohio State head coach continues to contemplate his future on an ongoing basis, and we hear he has told Gene Smith that he doesn’t expect to continue to coach past the 2019 season. One source told us we should expect Urban to address this in the days following Saturday’s Big Ten Championship."
Asked about the report at the pregame press conference for the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis, Meyer stated, "No comment on that." The Athletic's Bill Landis also cites athletic director Gene Smith as saying he and Meyer "have not discussed that."
Meyer's future in Columbus has become a hot topic of conversation dating back to the three-game suspension he was handed at the start of the season, which came as a result of his handling of accusations of domestic violence made against former wide receivers coach Zach Smith. Those rumblings only intensified throughout the 2018 campaign, as Meyer revealed he has been dealing with a brain cyst which has caused severe headaches -- one of which brought him to his knees during the Buckeyes' October matchup against Indiana.
Meyer has stated on multiple occasions that he plans on coaching Ohio State in 2019, which doesn't necessarily contradict FootballScoop's report. In seven seasons at Ohio State, Meyer has amassed an 81-9 record, two Big Ten championships and the 2014 College Football Playoffs championship.
