Urban Meyer did it all. The 61-year-old’s induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2025 set the stage for an emotional tribute by Fox Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff. The tribute video, crafted with storytelling flair, highlights his iconic moments: Tim Tebow’s Heisman, Florida’s back-to-back BCS titles, and Ohio State’s 2014 championship. But the most moving clip? His wife, Shelley Mather, often gets emotional watching her husband’s incredible college football journey unfold right in front of her.

“My favorite thing was just being a part of players’ lives. Extremely rewarding,” Shelley said. “We’re so proud of you. And I knew this was going to happen. I was going to cry. But you know your kids love you. I love you deeply. We are all so proud of you for meeting your goal. And we are so happy to have been along on the journey.” It wasn’t just the missus. Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer’s former star quarterback at Florida, and even current Ohio State coach Ryan Day showered their love for Coach Meyer. “Thank you for making me a Gator. Thank you for the impact on my life,” Tebow said.

“[And] Thank you for loving me. I love you so much. I’m so grateful that you are my coach, but I’m also even more grateful that you are my friend and we get to be family.” Ryan Day chimed in, saying, “You are a legend, and certainly I am forever in debt for what you did for me.” He further added, “And the transition from you being the head coach to me being the head coach has allowed me an opportunity that I’ll again forever be in debt for you.” All these sweet words don’t really compare to the legacy Urban Meyer made for himself.

It all started in Gainesville. From 2005 to 2010, Meyer took a Gators team that had been wandering in the post-Steve Spurrier era and brought it roaring back to national prominence. Over six seasons, he crafted a powerhouse with a 65-15 record that still ranks third in program history. At that time, the Gators were championship-caliber. Back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2008, two SEC titles, and three SEC Eastern Division titles solidified his impact. And Tebow was the companion to Meyer for his success at Gainesville. Back in 2006, he came in as a dual-threat quarterback and played a supporting role behind starter Chris Leak.

That season, the Gators went 13-1 and crushed No. 1 Ohio State 41-14 in the BCS championship game. From 2007 to 2009, Tebow took over as the starting QB and racked up an impressive 35-6 record. In 2008, he led Florida back to the BCS title game, where the Gators took down Oklahoma 24-14. During his first year as a starter, he won the Heisman Trophy, throwing for 3,286 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just six picks, plus adding 469 rushing yards and eight more scores. With so much of the contribution from the QB, Coach Meyer announced his retirement from The Swamp after Tebow got drafted for the Broncos in 2009.

Then came Ohio State. And Meyer really reached the pinnacle of coaching excellence at Columbus from 2012-2018. His first season saw a spotless 12-0 regular-season record, though the team couldn’t play in the postseason. By 2014, Meyer had the Buckeyes rolling. They went 14-1 and grabbed the first-ever College Football Playoff national title. That squad was unstoppable, smashing Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten title game, shocking No. 1 Alabama 42-35 in the Sugar Bowl, and finishing it off with a 42-20 win over Oregon for the championship. The secret sauce for this type of run is OSU’s success to a culture-first mindset in recruiting and team building.

Meyer left the horseshow with an astounding record of 81-9, after which Ryan Day took on the reins seamlessly. “I hired Ryan Day because I thought he was a very good coach. I knew he was, Meyer said about Day. “What I found out was that he’s far past that; he’s elite.” That’s a renowned story for a coach of Meyer’s stature.

Congrats, Coach. You deserve every bit of it!

All the veterans need to be back

The 2025 coaching carousels led to a lot of College Programs vying for excellence in playcalling, and Penn State is one of them. And guess what? Urban Meyer was a top candidate due to his impressive resume of three national titles and previous ties to Penn State. Urban Meyer’s recent meeting with Senator Dave McCormick focused on leadership and teamwork.

However, Meyer made his stance clear on the coaching return. “I don’t have a desire,” Meyer responded to reporter Kellyanne Stitts. “Despite eight Power 4 schools looking for head football coaches, including Penn State, LSU, and Florida, Urban Meyer is not interested in getting back into coaching.” Meyer sure has no knack for wearing the headset once again. But he endorsed Ohio State’s current offensive coordinator, Brian Hartline, for the job.

But even without coaching, Meyer remains highly involved with Ohio State football traditions. He’ll be the victory bell ringer at the Ohio State vs. Penn State game. This honor recognizes Meyer’s tremendous influence on the Buckeyes program and his undefeated 7-0 record against Penn State during his OSU tenure from 2012 to 2018.