Urban Meyer reaffirms Penn State rumors were false, emphatic that he has 'no interest' in coaching again

On Oct. 31, Audacy‘s Zach Gelb reported former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer had engaged in conversations with Penn State about becoming its next head football coach. During an appearance on The Herd, Meyer denied Gelb’s report.

“I certainly did not meet with Penn State about the job,” Meyer said. “Yeah, my phone started blowing up last week and I’ve got a lot of respect for Penn State but I have no interest in coaching again. So, no, of course not.”

Specifically, Gelb reported the conversations dried up when they arrived at the top of NIL. Meyer retired from collegiate coaching before the NIL era and Penn State higher-ups reportedly weren’t confident Meyer could thrive in the new collegiate landscape.

Moreover, Gelb reported that after Meyer knew he wouldn’t be receiving the job, he advocated for Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline. When Cowherd asked Meyer how he’d respond if a school offered him to coach again for $15 million a year, Meyer kept things brief: “Big Noon, baby.”

Meyer joined FOX Sports’ weekly pregame college football show, Big Noon Kickoff, in 2019 and has been a staple of the crew ever since. Despite Meyers’ denial of talking to Penn State about the head coach opening, Gelb didn’t back down from his initial report.

“Well, I didn’t make it up. That’s No. 1,” Gelb said. “No. 2, and I have a lot of respect for Urban Meyer, the coach, but what cracks me up is clearly you didn’t listen to my report. You didn’t. You talked about it, you gave your response, but you clearly didn’t hear it, because I never mentioned the senator in any of that.

“He had interest in the Penn State job and Penn State rejected him because of NIL. That’s what I was told. And I will stand by that. That is where the talks did break down. Urban was interested in the job.”

Meyer admitted to meeting with Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick, but claimed the rest of Gelb’s reporting was inaccurate. Meyer said he had breakfast with McCormick and talked politics, but it was unrelated to Penn State’s opening.

If Meyer is interested in returning to coaching, there is no shortage of opportunities for him. There are nine head coach openings at the Power Four level currently, including four in the SEC. Meyer will undoubtedly continue to be involved in rumors as the coaching carousel spins this offseason.