Corch, doing it for the kids

Everybody needs a hobby.

Former Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer is joining the board of a nonprofit that will pay Buckeyes football and basketball players to work with charities.

Meyer will serve on the board of THE Foundation, an organization co-founded by Brian Schottenstein, a Columbus real estate developer and Ohio State booster, and Cardale Jones, the former national championship-winning quarterback for the Buckeyes. It launches at the end of this month.

“There isn’t a better person to have on the board than Coach Urban Meyer,” Schottenstein said. “It goes without saying that he’s one of the greatest recruiters of student-athletes and coaches of all time. I appreciate his support and friendship.”

Definitely a go-to guy for mentoring.  Maybe they can bring in Zach Smith while they’re at it and get the band back together.

Does Urban Meyer have a future in college football?

That was a topic of discussion for me and some friends last night, before the news of Corch’s firing broke.  And, yes, I know Meyer’s got a 187-32 record as a college head coach, with three nattys.  And, yes, I know there are plenty of examples of second acts for college coaches who couldn’t cut it in the pros.  I mean, if a total douche like Bobby Petrino could land on his feet — handsomely, even — at Arkansas, surely there’s a place somewhere for Urban Meyer.

But this makes three fairly spectacular flame outs in a row for the guy when the going got tough.  Beyond that, you can make the argument that Meyer’s stint at Jacksonville is the worst showing for any NFL coach, ever.  And that’s before you get to the erratic personal behavior he displayed as the ship was sinking.  Handling adversity isn’t Urban Meyer’s strong suit.

What has been his strong suit is talent accumulation, but with the advent of the transfer portal, even that has to be questioned somewhat.  If your coach behaves like a complete dick, you don’t have to put up with that on the college level anymore.

I have no doubt Meyer intends to return to the college coaching ranks, because he’s not built to have the Jacksonville fiasco as the final item on his resume.  But how many schools are prepared to roll the dice on an expensive chance like Corch (and he will be pricey), knowing that it’s likely he’ll flame out in less than five seasons and his tenure will play out in a very public way?

Okay… how many schools besides Auburn?

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UPDATE:  LOL.  Stingtalk is all in on Corch.

A winning personality

Evidently, to know Dan Mullen is to love him.

Today I cracked open my old copy of Urban's Way (published after the '07 season) and had forgotten there is an entire three-page section on how difficult Dan Mullen's personality is. These were the highlights. pic.twitter.com/u0XyTS2zaF

— David Wunderlich (@Year2) December 1, 2021

David’s qualifier doesn’t help as much as he thinks.

Context, y’all. The point is that Mullen makes a bad first impression, not that secretly no one likes him. pic.twitter.com/dYKuu9IjzV

— David Wunderlich (@Year2) December 1, 2021

Bad first impressions will kill you on the recruiting trail.  Sometimes, you only get one crack.

Quick! To the bulletin board, lads!

So, Jimbo Fisher tells fans TAMU’s gonna beat Saban’s ass.

1955 audio from Jimbo Fisher speech to Houston TD Club: https://t.co/GDCYvUwA01 pic.twitter.com/sCgG3RX7WJ

— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) May 5, 2021

It’s obvious from the lighthearted tone there, and Jimbo’s relationship with Saban that he’s having a little fun.  But that doesn’t stop the knicker-wadding in certain quarters from happening.

At least there’s some emotion going on there.  Contrast that with how a robot takes a shot.

"To hell with Georgia, right?"

Watch @CoachUrbanMeyer's call with WR @JalenCamp__. 📱@BOSE | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/5skOO5h5I4

— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) May 1, 2021

Yeesh.

I guarantee you after the excitement wears off, Jalen Camp is gonna be wondering what he’s getting into with Corch.

Today, in Mark Richt has lost control of Kirk Herbstreit

Just gag me with a spoon.

Kirk Herbstreit just said Urban Meyer was going to win in Jacksonville "not necessarily X's and O's" but with "the culture of finding better players than his opponent has" and "motivating" those players.

— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) April 29, 2021

Huntley Johnson, MVP

There’s a reason Corch had that fucker on speed dial.

The 2008 Florida Gators won the BCS National Championship.

Of the 121 players on that roster, 41 have been arrested.

We need a 30 for 30 on this team. pic.twitter.com/qzsrmDSUpz

— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) February 1, 2021

That is an accurate number, per the New York Times.

A roster on the university’s Web site lists 121 players, 41 of whom have been arrested, either in college or afterward, and sometimes both. That number included 16 players on that season’s final two-deep roster, nine of whom were starters, as well as a kicker, punter and returner. Several of those players went on to the N.F.L., and one, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, later won the Heisman Trophy playing for Auburn.

Definitely a special team.  Mrs. Corch was pretty special, too.

After Hernandez’s arrest, Florida declined to comment. Meyer, about to start his second season as coach of Ohio State, initially declined to answer questions about Hernandez, a player who reportedly went to regular Bible study in Meyer’s home.

But Meyer’s wife, Shelley, posted on her Twitter page, “When will we start holding individuals accountable for their own decisions/actions and stop blaming any/everyone else?” She added the hashtag “liveyourliferight.”

Praise Jesus!

But in 2009, the number of arrests was such that The Orlando Sentinel, which covers the university, decided to maintain an online database to keep track of them.

I guess those Bible studies didn’t take real well.

Torn between two lovers

Try to read this paragraph without chuckling.

Multiple sources tell FootballScoop that veteran coach Charlie Strong, who rose to notoriety in coaching circles in part because of his great Florida Gators’ defenses, was planning to return to the Florida program to work alongside veteran defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, but appears instead to have chosen to go with Meyer.

Hard to believe Charlie turned down an opportunity to work with Towel Boy, but I guess the lure of Corch was too strong to resist.

Ask the expert

Urban Meyer explains how to identify a dysfunctional work environment, and how to fix it https://t.co/fKB9coSiVX

— FootballScoop Staff (@FootballScoop) January 12, 2021

Wait.  He’s not gonna discuss how to ignore it?

Does having Huntley Johnson on speed dial count as fixing it?

Well played, Corch.

Can confirm earlier report by Horns247 that former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer told Texas officials he has chosen not to return to coaching for health reasons. Meyer told UT this weekend. UT source tells me and @BDavisAAS UT is still "sorting through" what to do next. https://t.co/qqSjlk5THV

— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) December 7, 2020

Gotta admit, leaking the news you’re not taking a job offer from Texas may be an even more effective way of kneecapping Tom Herman than taking the job outright.  Now Urban can sit back and enjoy the sound Herman makes twisting in the wind for the next couple of weeks until the end mercifully comes.

Corch, agent of chaos

You might wonder what a new agency that would advise athletic departments on adapting to the coming NIL marketplace would see in bringing Urban Meyer on as a “coaching consultant”.  Allow Corch to explain his value:

Meyer, who will be the coaching consultant, predicted extraordinary demand for Altius’ services. Coaches’ time and attention in 2020 has been totally consumed by the pandemic, social justice causes and uncertainty around the 2020 season itself, Meyer said, so few of them have given full consideration to what NIL rights might mean.

The kind of guidance and expertise that Altius promises could provide its clients with a leg up in recruiting the top athletes who might be in position to benefit from NIL the most, the coach said.

“Universities will adapt, everyone will adapt,” Meyer said. “But I know a coach is going to want help in this space. He’s going to want to know what other people are doing. The biggest thing is what the NCAA compliance is going to look like. … This is going to be very chaotic for quite a while.”

Translation:  he’s there to help coaches figure out how to push the envelope with boosters.