Gene Smith (sorta) defends Urban Meyer

Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith issued a statement today in the wake of criticism of current Buckeye coach Urban Meyer. It doesn’t sound like Smith wants to hear about it from other coaches:

"I am disappointed that negative references have been made about our football coaches and particularly head coach Urban Meyer regarding recruiting.

“In our league appropriate protocol, if you have concerns, is to share those concerns with your athletic director. Then your athletic director will make the determination on the appropriate communications from that point forward.

“The athletic directors in our league are professionals and communicate with each other extremely well. Urban Meyer and his staff have had a compliance conscience since they’ve arrived."

Immediately after swiping a plethora of Big 10 prospects from other conference programs and signing them Wednesday, coaches in the league complained bitterly that Meyer was stepping over the line. Michigan State called Meyer’s tactics “unethical.” Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema suggested that what Meyer was doing ran afoul of NCAA regulations, an ominous allegation with the Buckeyes currently under probation for Jim Tressel’s TattooGate scandal.

According to a report from Brandon Castel at the-ozone,net, Meyer fired back during a speaking engagement at a high school coaches meeting earlier today.

"You're pissed because we went after a committed guy? Guess what, we got nine guys who better go do it again," he said motioning to his assistants in the front of the room. "Do it a little harder next time."

It doesn’t look like Meyer was impressed or intimidated by yesterday’s salvo from his colleagues.

Exit Question: How long before that league is absolutely run over by Meyer?

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Urban Meyer brings SEC recruiting to the Big 10

He took a year off to get his personal life and health in order. Then he returned to coaching, taking over a traditional Big 10 powerhouse that did well against league foes but always seemed a step slower than the SEC teams that clobbered the Ohio State Buckeyes in BCS Championship games.

Meyer learned something during his stressful tenure in the SEC. Winning championships means winning recruiting battles and if the Buckeye’s 2012 class is any indication, Meyer is taking the Big 10 school to SEC standards.

Meyer has a lot going for him on the recruiting trail. There’s a rich tradition at Ohio State. The facilities are among the finest in the nation. He’s assembled a top notch staff and when he flashes his two BCS championship rings, prospects are going to take notice.

What made him a successful recruiter and coach at Florida will pay dividends in Columbus, too.

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The rejuvenated, remade Meyer is a lot like the old Meyer, who had two recruiting classes at Florida (2007 and 2010) rank No. 1 nationally by Scout.com. His 2006 class, which included Tim Tebow, Brandon Spikes and Percy Harvin, was rated second. With 23 commitments heading into Signing Day this Wednesday, Scout.com ranks Ohio State's class as the third best nationally with four five-star recruits and 10 four-star players.

That's a brand new ranking for Ohio State, as are many of the names expected to officially sign on Wednesday's National Signing Day to play for Meyer. Since taking over on Nov. 28, Meyer has convinced at least five highly-touted players previously verbally committed to other programs to choose Ohio State. There are still at least two more targets on his radar who could choose the Buckeyes.

Meyer has done it despite the December news that Ohio State faces a bowl ban for 2012 and scholarship reductions over the next three years, three in each year. He said he explained the NCAA sanctions to each recruit, and apparently that's just another part of his pitch that prospects and their families immediately buy.

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The scholarship reductions and one year bowl ban won’t do much long term damage to the program. The NCAA’s penalty package was aimed at punishing the coaches who broke the rules, not the school that successfully argued how they were deceived.

It’s not unreasonable for Buckeye fans to expect a brief period of pain followed by a longer period of success. If Meyer can adjust his model for Big 10 schedules and personnel, Meyer may succeed beyond even the most ardent Brutus’ expectations.

It starts on the recruiting trail.

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Senior Bowl poll: Players split on BCS vs. Playoffs; like Nick Saban

Each year, the Mobile Press-Register’s Tommy Hicks surveys participants of the Senior Bowl to gauge their opinions on some of the hot topics of the day.

At publish time there was no link to the story, but here is a sampling of some of the questions and answers. (story link here, now)

Not all players answered all questions. Some of the answers are surprising, some are not. All are interesting.

Which plan do you favor for determining the National Championship?

BCS	18
Playoff	10
Plus One	8

If you were starting a team, who would you pick to be the head coach?

Alabama’s Nick Saban	10
Ohio State’s Urban Meyer	6

Will the SEC claim its seventh national championship next season?

No	22
Yes	21

If it had played in the BCS title game against LSU, would Oklahoma State have won the championship?

No	24
Yes	19

If it had played in the BCS title game against Alabama, would Oklahoma State have won the championship?

No	24
Yes	19

Among other fun questions, players chose Halle Berry by a slim margin over Kim Kardashian as their choice to head the cheerleading team for a new NFL squad; and chose Oregon’s uniforms as their favorite by an overwhelming margin.

Both the North and South squads will do walk throughs of the game plan this morning. The game—which is nearly sold out—will be played tomorrow at Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:00 pm CST and will be televised by the NFL Network.

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Ohio State officially welcomes Urban Meyer to the Buckeyes

One week after vehemently denying reports that he had reached a deal to become Ohio State’s next football coach, Urban Meyer was officially welcomed by the Buckeyes on Monday afternoon. Meyer could deny those reports all he wanted but let’s be honest—his next coaching gig was set the day Jim Tressel walked out that door.

As also discussed here last week, the romance between Columbus and its Ohio-born paramour has many different plot twists and turns. Not the least of which will be the set of expectations his new bosses have vs. those of the fans. The Associated Press’ Ralph Russo told me that he believes the Ohio State faithful would fit in the SEC perfectly (in terms of expectations and rabid following). In short, Buckeye fans want crystal balls and they want them now.

The NCAA has still not published the Committee on Infractions’ ruling on the Tattoo-trading scandal that rocked the school and cost Tressel his job. The program has offered a five scholarship reduction in its response to the league’s notice of allegations, but many observers expect the Committee to hand down a harsher sentence. I’ve seen estimates of five scholarship a year over three years based on the severity of the offenses.

The pending sanctions, the negative recruiting being used by competitors and at least a one- to two-year period of adjustment to Meyer’s leadership and philosophy mean that Michigan’s win Saturday might be the first of several before Meyer gets the program's feet beneath it.

When Meyer left Florida, he cited a combination of health concerns and family/personal issues as the reason for his departure. The pressure cooker at tOSU is as bad as it is in any school in the SEC, so it’ll be interesting to see how his physical, mental and emotional well-being endures the next two years.

At the end of the day, Ohio State still got the guy they wanted. Without a doubt, they had to hire the best coach available and the guy who knocked down two BCS titles at Florida was, without a doubt, that guy.

Exit question: Should the Columbus Police Department open a new precinct on campus? Or, can we get some odds on the Buckeyes’ chances of winning the EDSBS Fulmer Cup?

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The Urban Meyer – Ohio State romance has many story lines and plot twists

It’s like a dime-store romance novel. It’s on again. It’s off again.

It’s on again?

Earlier this week, former Florida Gators’ coach and current ESPN analyst told the Gainesville Sun’s Pat Dooley that he hadn’t visited Columbus and hadn’t interviewed for the Buckeye’s head coaching job.

But last night, news reports surfaced that he and the Ohio State powers-that-be agreed in principle to seven-year, $40 million nuptials. It’s a story that WE or Oxygen would drool over, isn’t it? After all, look at the story lines and plot twists, here.

Consider the jilted former lover in Gainesville, left behind by a coach who suddenly resigned, reversed himself, and then resigned for good. That page-turning chain of events was, according to Meyer, brought about first by health and then by family issues. Gator fans were saddened by his departure, but understanding and forgiving. That is, until reports surfaced that Meyer was the leading candidate for the job once held by the disgraced Jim Tressel at Ohio State.

It will be interesting to see how the Gator Nation handles the news if, as so many expect, Meyer and Ohio State finally consummate the relationship and join each other at the altar podium. Parting is indeed sweet sorrow, but it’s only sweet if your paramour isn’t jumping in the sack with the next pretty face.

And, as long as Florida was winning, Gator fans didn’t mind being in contention for the EDSBS Fulmer Cup. (for those of you who think college football coverage should be left up to professionals, the Fulmer Cup is awarded at the end of each offseason to the program with the collectively worst criminal record.)

Somebody should alert Columbus Police Department Chief Walter Distelzweig to let him know that his job may be about to get really interesting, and seeing how Ohio State fans deal with annual Fulmer Cup contention should be a storyline producing free blogging all offseason long.

Consider also the mean, hateful Alabama Crimson Tide. All Nick Saban and his 2009 National Championship squad did was show Meyer that competing in the SEC was a big boy’s job. They made his ass quit and made his quarterback cry. Does he really think the job of winning championships gets easier at Ohio State, where it took gaming the system to keep ineligible players on the field to get its first ever win over an SEC team?

This is another fascinating storyline to be played out--how does Meyer see his upcoming affair with the battling Brutuses? What would the ultimate goal of the relationship be? When he was introduced as the Florida head coach in December 2004, the stated goal was to compete at the highest level and contest for national championships. Meyer did just that—winning two national titles in 2006 and 2008. The goals at Ohio State are just as lofty.

But as Yahoo! Sports columnist (and BCS Anarchist) Dan Wetzel illustrates in a column yesterday, B1G commissioner Jim Delany isn’t thinking on such a scale anymore. In fact, Delany’s decision-making will likely make it difficult for even the B1G’s best to make beaucoup bucks in the BCS, much less compete for all the Tostitos and win a BCS title. A nine game season in the league makes it hard for even Ohio State and Michigan to emerge from the conference unbeaten, a task they are almost certainly required to complete before getting into the big dance. A one-loss Ohio State isn’t getting to the championship game like a one-loss 2006 Florida team did, because Ohio State is in the B1G, not the SEC.

The only way Ohio State gets into a title match is if some sort of plus-one or multi-round playoff is installed. Delany wants none of it and remains the most powerful conference commissioner to oppose it. When the SEC’s Mike Slive and the ACC’s Jim Swofford proposed a weaksauce plus-one system last January, Delany shot it down. This January, Delany will propose that the BCS sponsor only a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. While that would be awful for college football in general, it would be disastrous for an incoming coach who expects his team to win it all and coaches that way.

The plot will only get thicker as the story plays out. Chick flicks are fantasies but this is real, or something.

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Urban Meyer publicly denies deal for Ohio State job

Keep in mind that public denials of this nature mean absolutely nothing until Ohio State University (or any other big time program) makes its hire and holds the press conference.

But at least for now, former Florida Gators coach Urban Meyer is on the record denying that he has agreed to take over the Buckeyes.

Rumors flew last week that the deal was done and that Meyer had already visited Columbus and that there was already a contract in place.

Per GatorSports.com’s Pat Dooley—about as reliable of a reporter as you’ll find—Meyer says there is no deal in place because there’s been no offer made.

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The former Florida head football coach told The Sun he never interviewed for the Arizona job and has not interviewed for the Ohio State job. And if the Ohio State job is offered, the same issues that caused him to step away from coaching this past year are still in play.

“The concerns are still there,” Meyer told The Sun. “No. 1 — my health. No. 2 — my family. No. 3 — the state of college football. I've done some research into the second one. I've found that it is possible to have balance between your job and your family, that there are coaches out there who are doing it.

“I'm in a good place right now mentally and physically. So if something happens with Ohio State, I'll have a decision to make. But there has been no interview. There has been no offer to make a decision about.”

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ElevenWarriors.com—a prominent Buckeyes blog—posted last week that there was mutual interest between Meyer and Ohio State and that an agreement in principle had been worked out. EW also reported that the two parties were in agreement over waiting to hear the NCAA’s final verdict on the TattooGate scandal that cost former OSU coach Jim Tressel his job, and that Meyer had already made some decisions on staffing. To wit, Meyer was believed to be all but certain to take current LSU offensive coordinator with him. The two have coached together at Bowling Green.

Stay tuned—one way or another, Ohio State is almost certain to have a new coach at the Horseshoe and the deal will likely get done next month. Will it be Meyer?

It looks like remains to be seen. But keep in mind that if Ohio State decides to reach out to an existing head coach and Penn State goes shopping as well, the 2010-11 Coaching Carousel is set to spin like an Iranian Centrifuge.

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I’m the Ole Miss coaching search committee, and I’m trimming the “short list”

I’m Archie Manning, FedEx Vice President Mike Glenn, and an as-yet-to be named committee of Ole Miss Yes Men. I haven’t met yet, but I’ve already put together this list of coaches I’m going after. I’ve also put together a list of coaches that have no chance of moving to Oxford.

Here are the coaches that WILL NOT be on the “short list” to take over the Ole Miss Rebels at the end of the season.

Mike Leach. Sure, he’s interested. He did something with almost nothing in the middle of nowhere (nee, Lubbock) Texas. He’s coached and recruited in the SEC and his wide open offense was exciting to watch. But Coach Arrgghh is involved in a bitter contract dispute with his former employer and is also suing ESPN for defamation of character. ESPN pours billions in the the SEC and what conservative, business-oriented members of a search committee want to interview a guy who sues his former employers?

Rich Rodriguez. Another offensive guru with a history of litigation with former employers. There’s a reason why this guy hasn’t been seriously considered as a legitimate candidate for other profiled coaching jobs since being dismissed from Michigan. But the real knock on RichRod is that in his last football game, Mississippi State shellacked him 52-14. Wouldn’t you rather have somebody who’s at least beaten your in-state rival?

Gus Malzahn. Here’s a candidate that the search committee is drooling over. But alas, we recognize that there are other, much better opportunities for a hot name assistant coach than Ole Miss. Name one? Ok. North Carolina. More populous state. More fertile recruiting territory. Less brutal competition than the SEC West. Deeper pockets and less pressure.

Kirby Smart. See the entry for Gus Malzahn. If Malzahn inexplicably turns down the North Carolina opportunity, Smart is the next best option on the table and, being that he’s at least as smart as Malzie, he sees a better opportunity at Carolina, too.

Urban Meyer. I’m a very deliberate, very intelligent search committee. I’m going to make this process last a little bit longer than the last one did, and I’m going to be reasonably sure I’m getting the best guy I can afford. Which means I’m not wasting the going after a $3.0 to $5.0 million man after paying millions to buy out Houston Nutt.

Bill Cowher, Tony Dungy or Jon Gruden. Name one successful NFL head coach who transitioned down to the college ranks and succeeded in recruiting and managing a college program. Name one who was financially set for life, repeatedly said he was happy doing what he was doing, and made the move anyway.

Names missing from this cut sheet are Houston’s Kevin Summerlin, Texas DC Manny Diaz, Southern Miss’ Larry Fedora and former Clemson coach Tommy Bowden.

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The Alabama Crimson Tide will CRUSH the Florida Gaytors

Five reasons why Alabama should win this weekend’s rematch of the 2009 SEC Championship game, going away.

• Defense.  Last year’s Alabama defense would simply maul you like a bear.  This year’s Alabama defense plays more like a big cat predator.  It is physical, but it is much more opportunistic.  You make a mistake, you pay with your life.
• No Tebow.  Brantley is a great Quarterback and will be playing football on Sundays in a few years.  But he is no Tim Tebow, and neither is the freshman Trey Burton.  Neither one of these QB’s have faced such a talented, well-coached and experienced defense like the Alabama defense.
• Mark Richardson Trent Ingram.  These two Tailbacks are as interchangeable as a Borg’s body parts.  They run over you, around you, through you and past you.  Alabama will have more than 300 yards on the ground by the final whistle, and Florida’s defensive backfield will get up looking through their helmets’ earholes.
• Greg McElroy.  He’s not flashy.  He’s not seven feet tall.  He doesn’t weigh 275 lbs.  All he does is beat you, and he’s been doing it since puberty.
• Nick Saban is a better game prep coach than Urban Meyer.  No one outworks Alabama head football coach Nick Saban.  He already knows which plays Florida will run out of which formations, and he’s already coaching Dont’a Hightower on how to sniff out what’s coming.

Your wild card sixth reason: Bama fans don’t wear jorts.

There ya go.  I said it.  Alabama will CRUSH Florida on Saturday and if I’m wrong, I’ll be here Sunday morning to admit it. 

Featured in the news Sunday Edition: A "gusher" of bureacracy

• Frances Coleman: Where did the Coast Guard of Katrina go?  A "gusher" of bureaucracy.
• Hugh Hewitt: On Tebow, McCoy and Faith in Athletes.  Hard to hate, unless you can't tolerate men of faith. 
• Why Are Liberals So Miserable?  Making life "fairer" is a difficult task. 
• US House lawmaker calls for probe of Fannie Mae charges. Windy days and a house of cards.
• Big Democratic Fund-Raiser Indicted.  Draining the swamp, my ass.
• Report: Florida coach Urban Meyer closes practice to keep out 'internet people' and 'scumbags.'  Paranoia will destroy ya.
• Michelle Obama Lunches With King at Family's Resort Home During Spanish Vacation.  Royalty.
• In Kentucky, Tea Party vs. Obama proxy war.  Outspokenness as a double edged sword? 
• BP Internal Audit Found Key Flaws On US Gulf Rig.  Was the Deepwater Horizon doomed? 
• What Missouri’s Law Against ObamaCare Does and Doesn’t Do.  A victory for personal freedom, not states rights.

Gimme some feedback in the comments.