On Thursday, Urban Meyer realized he could no longer ignore the elephant in the room.
This week, there had been increasing whispers that Meyer had interest in returning to coach at Ohio State. The rumors started off with a report from former ESPN broadcaster Jay Crawford indicating Meyer would be open to coming back, and escalated due to the heat rising on current Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day.
Meyer finally addressed the story this afternoon, releasing a statement through the X/Twitter account for “The Triple Option,” the weekly show he co-hosts with Rob Stone and Mark Ingram
“It has come to my attention that there are reports speculating my return to the sidelines in Columbus,” Meyer said. “While I thoroughly enjoyed my seven seasons as head coach at THE Ohio State University, I have no interest in coaching again. I will always be a Buckeye and have full confidence in Ryan Day, his staff, and every player that puts on the Scarlet and Gray.”
Meyer’s statement is about as definitive as it gets, though we’re sure some people are still holding out hope he’ll return to Columbus.
“It’s silly that this even has to be addressed but good on Urban Meyer to address it,” said Ohio State writer and podcaster Jeremy Birmingham.
“Don’t believe everything you read on Twitter kids. Except this. You should believe this,” added Bucknuts’ Patrick Murphy.
“It was fun while it lasted. Love you forever Urban Legend,” an OSU fan added.
“If you have to say it…” an Auburn fan chimed in.
“Thanks. That was getting annoying,” another Ohio State fan said.
As for Day, he led the Buckeyes to a 10-2 regular season and upcoming berth in the College Football Playoff, but also lost to Michigan for the fourth-straight year and did not win a Big Ten title.
Meyer discussed the difficulties his successor is facing at Ohio State during this week’s episode of “The Triple Option.”
“It’s uncomfortable to hear the fired word and it’s uncomfortable to hear about pressure, but it’s also reality that you’re compensated very well, you get all the resources,” Meyer said. “I talked to someone, I said ‘Man, it’s a rugged job but it’s also arguably the best job.'”
Related: College Football Fans React To Urban Meyer’s Honest Ryan Day Comments