Urban Meyer Stepping Down After Rose Bowl; Ryan Day To Be Named Ohio State Coach

Urban Meyer to reportedly step down as Ohio State head coach after Rose Bowl

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer will retire at the end of the season, the school announced Tuesday.

Yahoo! Sports' Pete Thamel was the first to report on Meyer's retirement.

Meyer, 54, has spent the last seven seasons with the Buckeyes, leading them to one national championship and three Big Ten titles and will step down after the team's Rose Bowl game against Washington on Jan. 1.

Offensive coordinator Ryan Day, 39, will be named the new head coach.

Day took over for Meyer when he was suspended for the first three games of this season after his handling of domestic abuse allegations against former wide receivers coach Zach Smith.

Day has been in charge of the Ohio State offense since the 2017 season. The Buckeyes averaged 43 points a game in 2018 and is second in the nation in total offense, led by Heisman Trophy finalist Dwayne Haskins. 

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Meyer has a 82–9 record during his time in Columbus, went 7-0 record Michigan and also had a 54–4 record in Big Ten play.

Before being hired at Ohio State, Meyer led the Florida program to two national championships. He retired after the 2009 season, spending one season as an analyst for ESPN before stepping back into coaching.

The Buckeyes finished with a 12–1 record this season, only suffering a 29-point loss to Purdue, a defeat that ultimately kept them out of the College Football Playoff.

There were also concerns with Meyer's health. He told reporters in October that he has an arachnoid cyst in his brain, causing frequent headaches. He had said then that he was "committed to Ohio State, the football program, as long as I can."

Meyer has a 186–32 record in 17 seasons at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State. His .853 winning percentage is the third-best in college football history.