Urban Meyer to Penn State? Why the Rumors Won’t Go Away … and What It Would Mean for College Football
As Penn State Football launches one of the most ambitious coaching searches in school history, one name continues to dominate conversations; legendary coach Urban Meyer.
The three-time national champion and former Ohio State, Florida, and Utah head coach has reappeared in the college football rumor mill after being spotted having breakfast with Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick, just days after James Franklin’s firing.
McCormick even posted about the meeting on X (formerly Twitter):
“Great conversation over breakfast this morning with my friend and all-time great @CoachUrbanMeyer. We talked about leadership, teamwork, and serving something bigger than yourself.”
Great conversation over breakfast this morning with my friend and all time great @CoachUrbanMeyer. We talked about leadership, teamwork, and serving something bigger than yourself. pic.twitter.com/TYQU9m5BXs
— Senator Dave McCormick (@SenMcCormickPA) October 23, 2025
The post immediately set off speculation that Penn State might be courting the most successful and polarizing coach of the modern era.
Meyer is also scheduled to appear at Ohio Stadium this weekend to ring the Victory Bell before the Buckeyes’ matchup with Penn State, adding even more fuel to the fire.
Inside the Urban Meyer to Penn State Rumors
Urban Meyer’s Track Record: Instant Transformation
Meyer has built a legacy on winning fast and winning big.
At Utah (2003–04), in just two seasons, Meyer went 22–2 on the back of quarterback Alex Smith, delivering an undefeated 12–0 campaign in year two and a Fiesta Bowl rout of Pittsburgh. It was the first BCS bowl win in school history and launched Utah into national prominence.
At Florida (2005–10), two years after arriving in Gainesville, he led the Gators to a 13–1 record and the 2006 national championship, crushing Ohio State 41–14. Two years later, he did it again, capturing another title in 2008.
At Ohio State (2012–18), in Year 3, Meyer guided the Buckeyes to the 2014 national title, beating Oregon 42–20 in the inaugural College Football Playoff, and he did it with a third-string quarterback, Cardale Jones. His overall record is astounding: 187–32, with three national championships and double-digit wins in 12 of 17 seasons. At every stop, Meyer turned good programs into juggernauts within three years and often faster.
The Health, Controversy, and Burnout Factor
Meyer’s greatness has always come with some turbulence and controversy.
At, Florida, he stepped away twice due to severe stress, chest pains, and a diagnosed arachnoid cyst causing debilitating headaches.
At Ohio State, he retired again in 2018, citing health concerns and exhaustion after the Zach Smith controversy engulfed the program.
Then came his ill-fated NFL stint in Jacksonville, just 13 games, long marked by locker-room dysfunction and an off-field scandal that ended his tenure before Christmas.
Those exits have made one thing clear: if Meyer ever coaches again, it will be on his terms, for a finite stretch, a five- or six-year window to win it all and walk away.
Penn State’s Temptation and Risk
For Penn State, that timeline may be both perfect and perilous.
The upside: immediate relevance.
Meyer’s presence alone would catapult Penn State into national title contention. Recruiting fireworks. His name still carries gravity with five-star recruits and NIL collectives. Instant system overhaul. His structure, accountability, and toughness could cure years of inconsistency under Franklin.
The downside: short runway.
If Meyer only stays five or six years, Penn State risks a crash landing when he leaves, the same fate Utah, Florida, and Ohio State endured post-Meyer. Cultural friction.
His autocratic style could clash with Penn State’s traditional “family-first” ethos. Legacy management. If Meyer wins big, great. But if he flames out, the next coach inherits inflated expectations and a fractured locker room. Health wildcard. Every time he’s stepped away, it’s been sudden.
A repeat could destabilize a program mid-championship run.
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If Meyer did land in State College, it would reshape the conference overnight.
Ohio State vs. Urban Meyer becomes must-watch television, a mentor-turned-rival dynamic the sport has never seen.
Recruiting wars between Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan would hit new heights and possibly create a three-way rivalry with national title implications every year.
Playoff positioning in the new 12-team format could tilt decisively toward Happy Valley, at least temporarily.
This is not a hard decision.
James Franklin was relieved of his duties because he was unable to take the Penn State program to the next level and was unable to win a national championship in his 12 seasons in Happy Valley.
Pat Kraft is facing a situation where one of the most successful head coaches in college football history appears to have an interest in taking over his football team. Do I have to spell it out?
Below is a list of all the college head coaches who have won titles at multiple schools. There are only three:
Nick Saban — LSU (2003); Alabama (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020). Total: 7 national titles (6 at Alabama, 1 at LSU). Saban is the only coach to win national championships in both the BCS and College Football Playoff eras.
Urban Meyer — Florida (2006, 2008); Ohio State (2014). Won 3 national titles at two schools.
Pop Warner — Pittsburgh (1916); Stanford (1926). Total: 2 national titles at two schools (early era, pre-modern football).
Meyer is the only living coach other than Saban to win national titles at two different schools in the modern era.
That’s what makes the Penn State rumors so compelling.
If Meyer did it again in Happy Valley, he’d become the first coach in history to win championships at three different programs, and he’s only 61. Just a guess, but I think the thought of etching himself alone in the record books would be quite an attractive option.
The downside of that possibility is that Meyer has a history of winning quickly but not hanging around too long after that.
But that’s the paradox Pat Kraft and the Happy Valley faithful would have to live with — a coach and a program with perhaps the best chance to win a national title the fastest, but also one with the trajectory of a phoenix without a compass.
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It was at PRISM where Staszak produced live games and began his career as an on-air reporter.
After a couple of brief stints with CBS-3, WB-17 and WGAL-8 in Lancaster, PA, Staszak began a 12 year stretch at FOX 29 where he became the lead sportscaster in 2007. It was there that Staszak found himself in the middle of Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship coverage that earned him an Emmy nomination for best sports reporter in 2008.It was one of five Emmy nominations that Staszak earned over the course of his career.
All told Staszak covered three World Series, two Stanley Cup Finals, an NBA Finals and one Super Bowl during his television run.
Staszak left the TV business for 97.5 The Fanatic in 2013, where he enjoyed eight years bloviating his beliefs on how a professional football team should be run.In 2018 when he fortunate enough to be the first sports talk host in the city, along with cohort Zach Gelb, to provide post-game coverage of the first Super Bowl Championship for the city’s beloved Philadelphia Eagles.
Staszak was also a writer for 97.5 The Fanatic along with 4 Philly Sports and now covers Penn State athletics for NittanyCentral.com.
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