Urban Meyer: Ohio State has 'never been more cautious' about who it brings in
As the college football landscape continues to evolve against the backdrop of name, image and likeness (NIL), the Ohio State Buckeyes continue to be in the upper echelon of the sport. What's the key?
On Tuesday's edition of "The Herd," former Ohio State head coach and current FOX Sports College Football Studio Analyst on "Big Noon Kickoff" Urban Meyer gave his perspective on how Ohio State remains in the elite tier of the sport.
"I think Ohio State, and I've talked to coach [Ryan] Day about this and Mark Pantoni, their GM, is that they have never been more cautious about what they bring into that program," Meyer said. "First of all, you don't need to change much because they recruit on an incredible level. So, if you're going to bring someone in, I got to a point a couple of times in my career where [I was like] 'do not take that person if that can disrupt the culture; don't do it.' As a result, we let some good players get away from us, but we're not going to change our culture, so that's what they're doing."
After winning its ninth title in program history last season, Ohio State is out to be the 15th team to repeat as national champions.
Ohio State opens the 2025 season with a headline matchup, as it hosts the Texas Longhorns on Aug. 30 in what's a rematch of last season's College Football Playoff semifinal round; the Buckeyes beat the Longhorns, 28-14, to advance to the National Championship, where they then beat Notre Dame. On the other side of the ball will be junior Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who Meyer said could be a "great quarterback" in what's his first full season as the program's starter.
Ohio State had 14 players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, with four players taken in Round 1 and three more taken in Round 2. In other words, the Buckeyes are replacing 14 starters from last season.
Meyer expressed that Ohio State has to "get good fast" at quarterback with Julian Sayin' presumably getting the Week 1 nod. Granted, the Buckeyes also have Mason Maggs, Lincoln Kienholz and five-star freshman Tavien St. Clair in their quarterback room. Ohio State is trying to fill the shoes of 2024 quarterback Will Howard, who was selected in the sixth round after throwing for a Big Ten-high 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns and completing a conference-high 73.0% of his passes.
However, Meyer sees a more pressing issue that Ohio State has to address head-on before worrying about replacing its quarterback.
"The biggest issue, I think, is when a team wins a national championship, everything changes," Meyer said. "I talked to Joe Maddon in 2016. He just came off winning the World Series as the manager of the Chicago Cubs, and he was miserable. And he said how hard it is to have back-to-back [titles]. It doesn't happen very often. Why? Because complacency sets in the program, so I think that's Ryan Day's No. 1. And not so much with the players, because he's replacing a bunch of players. I'm talking about the coaching staff. I'm talking about everybody in that organization. Enough of patting on the back [about last season]. That one is ancient history. That's over. That's going to be the challenge.
"I've talked to many coaches who have won national titles. Dealing with the complacency that seeps into your program is the biggest issue."
As for returning players, the Buckeyes have star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who totaled 76 receptions for a Big Ten-high 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns in his 2024 freshman season, and fellow receiver Carnell Tate, who tallied 733 receiving yards last year. On the other side of the ball, Ohio State has star defensive back/punt returner Caleb Downs and linebacker Sonny Styles — who logged six sacks and 100 combined tackles in 2024 — among others. Ohio State's 2025 recruiting class ranks fourth in the country, according to 247Sports, headlined by five-stars like St. Clair, cornerback Devin Sanchez and wide receiver Quincy Porter.
The Georgia Bulldogs are the last program to repeat as national champions, winning the 2021 and 2022 College Football Playoffs. Prior to Georgia, Alabama accomplished the feat in 2011 and 2012. Michigan State is the last Big Ten school to win back-to-back championships, splitting the 1965 and 1966 national titles. The last Big Ten school to outright win consecutive titles was Minnesota in 1940 and 1941, when the Big Ten was the "Western Conference."
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