"Report: Mounting 'Friction' and Tension Building Between Urban Meyer, Ohio State"

Submitted by FauxMo on October 23rd, 2018 at 8:30 AM

I think this is his last year, folks. Whether this stuff is true or not, these kind of "whisper campaigns" often presage a change on the horizon. If I had to bet at this minute, I'd say we are seeing Urban's last season at OSU. The only question now is, do they even miss a beat, or will their exceptional recruiting plus Ryan Day as HC? The guy has never been an HC, as far as I know, outside this year as "acting" HC during Urban's suspension... 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2802296-report-mounting-friction-and-tension-building-between-urban-meyer-ohio-state

Aspyr

October 23rd, 2018 at 8:34 AM ^

I've heard whispers that there are "chemistry" issues on the team and that the majority of the players would rather have Day as a coach now.

JPC

October 23rd, 2018 at 8:37 AM ^

Chemistry issues aren’t anything new for urban. Getting blown out by Purdue is what everyone is pissed off about. 

If he beats Michigan he’s probably got some more time there. If he loses, I suspect he’s done. 

Good thing OSU bent over backward to cover for his lying ass. That was totally worth it. 

Mr Miggle

October 23rd, 2018 at 10:23 AM ^

I don't think it's a question of Meyer being on the hot seat. It's more likely that he had mixed feelings about coming back. He seems incapable of accepting criticism and the suspension really hurt him. A bad end to the season will make his moving on look better to both sides, but he's not getting fired. It will be his decision and OSU won't try to talk him out of it.

trueblue262

October 23rd, 2018 at 10:30 AM ^

This has been my take from the beginning of this whole thing......Just the way he read the "apology" and the untimely released statements. I don't think OSU would ever part ways with Meyer, no matter how much of a slime bucket he is. I think Urbz is ready to walk away from them for making him basically confess that he did something wrong. Very childish, but we are talking about Urban Meyer and the state university of ohio

canzior

October 23rd, 2018 at 2:27 PM ^

And the USC job is probably coming open. Why not leave OSU and take that job this year? The Pac12 is really weak this year, and might be the same next year as I think some of the best QB's in the conference are graduating...he would compete in year one.

bacon1431

October 23rd, 2018 at 8:41 AM ^

Wouldn’t you? The players all probably know that Zach Smith was an asshole. I doubt anybody truly liked him after they got to know him. And then you find out that your HC was letting him get away with all kinds of shit over the years? After all the sanctimonious preaching he’s done? How could everyone on the team want to play for a guy like that? 

I Like Burgers

October 23rd, 2018 at 10:21 AM ^

Yeah this always seemed like the mostly likely outcome of keeping Meyer.  From all reports, Smith was a terrible human as well as a terrible and lazy coach.  Players all likely disliked him, but put up with him because he's your coach, so what are you going to do?

Then you go and find out all of the OTHER shit he's been into, find out that he's an even worse person off the field, and that Urban -- "Decisions, Honesty, Treat Women With Respect" -- Meyer was covering for him all this time? Like how you gonna respect the guy that doesn't even abide by his own core tenants he plasters outside your locker room?

Urban might survive this season, and winning over Michigan would go a long ways towards winning back the team but man...its tough to see that happening even with a win.  Once a dude is dead to you, he's dead to you.

Jack Hammer

October 23rd, 2018 at 12:01 PM ^

Interesting the double standard:

1.  Urbs cuts Warinner because Warinner isn't great at OC as Meyer cites his coaching "must move up or out" philosophy.

2.  Urbs shields Smith as Smith continues to suck as a position coach for years as Meyer ignores his coaching "must move up or out" philosophy.

Favoritism and inconsistent treatment of people is the hallmark of a shitty leader.

Mr Miggle

October 23rd, 2018 at 12:50 PM ^

To be fair, he promoted Warinner to OC. That came with a nice pay raise and I bet both Warinner and Smith wanted that opportunity. He gave him a chance to succeed there and possibly garner interest as a HC. Demoting coaches just doesn't happen very often, but I'd bet Meyer knew he'd be better off keeping Warinner as his OL coach.

No doubt he showed Smith favoritism by keeping him on. I'd just dispute that Meyer treated him better than his other assistants. He just treated him far better than he deserved,

BlueInGreenville

October 23rd, 2018 at 8:42 AM ^

He always came across as the coach that players respected and feared rather than liked or loved.  Now that his sanctimonious facade is gone what's left?  He's been exposed and even if the fanbase stuck with him the players aren't...

dragonchild

October 23rd, 2018 at 8:55 AM ^

The sanctimonious facade was only there for PR purposes and otherwise means nothing.  Nor does this have anything to do with the Smith scandal.

If Meyer's in the hot seat at all, it's because he got humiliated by Purdue.  All will be forgiven if they beat Michigan, because apparently absolutely nothing else matters to that gorram part of the country.

Sauce Castillo

October 23rd, 2018 at 9:04 AM ^

Then let's hope Michigan goes out and puts the final nail in the coffin. They aren't going to be able to keep up the recruiting level they've been at with anyone else, and say what you want, but Urban and his system have proven the test of time everywhere he's been. Unless they hire Bill Belichick anything else will be a downgrade.

ijohnb

October 23rd, 2018 at 9:56 AM ^

I thought the Bosa thing was really odd to begin with.  Why not just stay with the program, be on the side line for home games, keep taking classes to get closer to a degree, and continue to train and prep for the NFL?  To leave the program completely, and withdraw from school, told me that there may be more to that than meets the eye.  Not only did he declare he is not playing anymore this season but took large, seemingly unnecessary steps to distance himself from the program.

BassDude138

October 23rd, 2018 at 10:27 AM ^

The Bosa situation makes perfect sense. He had no intention of going to college for an education. He went to OSU because his brother went there, and to win some games for a few years until he was allowed to go to the league. If he can't play for OSU, why would he stick around? He's wouldn't be going to class, if he even did in the first place. 

ijohnb

October 23rd, 2018 at 10:40 AM ^

I'm not buying that.  No offense to you, but I think that company line is kind of ridiculous.  

Of course his goal has been to go to the NFL since he got to OSU, but two weeks ago when Bosa declared he was completely out of there, they were undefeated and to the typical observer a prohibitive favorite to make to the College Football playoff.  He has an injury that needs sufficient treatment but is completely treatable without any enhanced threat of re-injury. 

His brother won a national championship at OSU.  Why not stick around and hope to play the playoff?  If he isn't going to play, why not watch some games from the sidelines and hope to get a ring?  He is a legacy player at OSU and having two brothers win a NC would not be a small deal.

We are not talking about a Top 5 player missing the Sun Bowl, here.  Making the Playoff and trying to dethrone Alabama is not some brush-off idea not worth any consideration.  If it was, none of these players would be playing, they would just be "training."  His decision, while explainable on the very outer surface, is very odd once you really look at it, IMO, and to me suggests other non-public considerations.  I think he was getting away from something more so than going toward something else.  And in conjunction with Meyer's "health problems," a ham-blasting by Purdue, and now these reports.  I don't think these are all unrelated things.

redwhiteandMGOBLUE

October 23rd, 2018 at 10:34 AM ^

My uneducated guess as to Bosa leaving:

He can now legally sign with an agent and start receiving $$$ advances from the agency.  This keeps urbs and osu out of trouble with the ncaa.

He can do recovery training 8-12 hours a day with specific professionals trained to help rehabilitate his type of injury. I'm not suggesting that osu doesn't have competent med/rehab staff, just that Bosa can now choose what doctors, when/where he sees them for this issue.

Doesn't have to worry about studying and class work any longer as he can always go back and get his degree. And if he's not interested in doing that in the future at least in the present he's not playing the charade of staying eligible for osu/the ncaa until the end of the semester.

ijohnb

October 23rd, 2018 at 10:54 AM ^

The money advances..... Joey Bosa is making $24 million dollars over the next four years.  The Bosa family has plenty of food on the table.

Classes?  At a school where their starting QB stated that he does not "play school."  I don't think that Bosa was getting the "stink eye" from his professors."  I don't think his studies were that onerous.

I don't think his decision adds up as was originally presented.  Just my opinion.

redwhiteandMGOBLUE

October 23rd, 2018 at 11:12 AM ^

I don't see what Joey Bosa having $24 million has to do with Nick Bosa leaving school. That's his brothers' money not his or his family's.

And if, as you propose, Bosa wasn't taking "onerous" classes, why bother staying in school just to hangout on the sidelines for the possibility of getting Nat Champ ring he didn't earn? He can get a sideline pass and hang with his buddies on Saturdays even though he's no longer enrolled in school.

I think once he got injured he realized his season was basically over and it's now time to get paid by his agency and start the rehab/training process for the combine.

ijohnb

October 23rd, 2018 at 11:19 AM ^

It didn't have to be over, though.  He would have been cleared at least by Michigan, and certainly before January.  I just think that people are not giving the idea of possibly playing in the college football playoff it's due consideration.  I know it isn't an NFL contract, but it is certainly not nothing.

If it had no value, why would he not have just sat out the season to begin with?  Why even play this season at all.

As for the money, I understand that is not his money, but having a multi-millionaire in any immediate family changes the dynamic a little bit.  If it is about getting money "now" instead of six months from now, it would be my guess that advances are available.

Look, we may just disagree about it.  I think it was an unorthodox and certainly surprising decision considering all of the circumstances.

redwhiteandMGOBLUE

October 23rd, 2018 at 11:37 AM ^

Disagreement and discussion is what's cool about this board.

I just truly believe once he got injured he realized his season was basically over and it's now time to get paid and start the rehab/training process for the combine.  I think he really wants to be the overall #1 pick in the draft and he can now focus on that goal while getting paid.

mmc22

October 23rd, 2018 at 1:26 PM ^

 "He would have been cleared at least by Michigan, and certainly before January".

What makes you say that? He did meet with his doctor just a few days before announcing his decision. We don't know what he was told, but I doubt it was as optimistic as you imply.

As for staying in school, what does he has to gain? He will not graduate anyway. This way he is free to concentrate on his recovery and prepare for the draft. He can have the best trainers and physical therapists money can buy in the whole country without being tied to the OSU campus.

"If it had no value, why would he not have just sat out the season to begin with?  Why even play this season at all".

Now this is just silly. He wasn't hurt at the beginning of the season.

dragonchild

October 23rd, 2018 at 10:13 AM ^

I doubt it and that kind of sells Purdue short.  The reality is that OSU was vulnerable and coasting on reputation, and Jeff Brohm's the sort of fearless up-and-comer who would look at a highly ranked opponent on the schedule and see it as an opportunity.

I don't know what's going on in the locker rooms but Purdue exploited issues that had either been in place for a while and/or OSU can't really fix.  Meyer's a "power spread-to-run" guy so he can't maximize a pocket-passer's talent, and without a running QB Meyer's system is undermined.  His defenses have always kind of been the exact sum of their parts; dominant against overmatched talent (which to be fair is almost everybody) but a clever offensive mind (like Brohm) with a few playmakers (like Moore) can give them a game.

I'm occasionally grumpy when an Iowa or Wisconsin (i.e., programs with rosters similar to ours) exposes OSU's weaknesses because it gives Meyer time to make adjustments for The Game, but this time around I'm not as worried.   OSU's always dangerous, that won't change, but Meyer can't turn Haskins into J.T. Barrett.