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| Photo Credit:Bradley Leeb, USA TODAY Sports |
Contract Extension will Keep Meyer at OSU Through 2020
Sometimes the best course of action is to remain with the status quo. For Ohio State and head coach Urban Meyer, this couldn't be more true. That's why both have agreed on a contract extension that will keep Meyer in Columbus and on the Ohio State sidelines through the 2020 season.
With the extension comes a pay raise for the three-time national championship winning coach. Meyer will see his annual salary increase from $4.5-million per season to $6.5 million. That comes to a roughly 44% increase, chump change when you consider the amount of revenue Meyer and his football program generated during his short time in Columbus.
Based on numbers heading into last season, that would make Meyer the second highest paid coach in all of college football behind Alabama's Nick Saban. As of this past season, Saban was working on a salary of $7.16-million. Meyer would now be ahead of Michigan State's Mark Dantonio ($5.61-million), Oklahoma's Bob Stoops ($5.05-million), and Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin ($5-million).
Ohio State Vice President and Director of Athletics Gene Smith had the following to say in a press release:
"Urban Meyer has done an excellent job strengthening our culture of commitment to academics, career development and winning championships. Our young men continue to thrive under his leadership, whether on the playing field where they are national champions, through life skills pursuits like Real Life Wednesdays, internships and job fairs, and academically through program-wide efforts to monitor the progress of every student-athlete which has helped the team achieve its highest graduation success rate at 78 percent. Additionally, he continues to develop his coaches and attract talented leaders when needed."
With the extension, which will have to be approved by the OSU Board of Trustees, Ohio State maintains its most valuable asset for the foreseeable future. Thanks to his high powered offensive attack and track record of building a title contending program year in and year out, Meyer's ability to bring in big name recruits is unparalleled, particularly within the Big Ten. With that, and the results of the recently completed season, 14-1 with a national title, that makes Meyer well worth the long-term investment.
The extension also signals a commitment from Meyer that he is at Ohio State for the long haul. After short stints at Bowling Green and Utah followed by a successful, albeit heavily stressed, stint at Florida, there was reason to wonder just how long Meyer would be willing to remain with the scarlet and gray. Meyer has said time and time again that his situation with Ohio State is different from previous stops, his dream job which happened to open up earlier than expected. He said as much during a recent interview with Cincinnati Reds play by plan man, Thom Brennaman. Skip to the 5:20 mark for the question and answer.
Based on Meyer's life long ties to the program and Ohio connections, Ohio State is the perfect situation. It's about as perfect a situation as anyone can find anywhere. His signing on the dotted line of this most recent contract extension proves that. There are no aspirations for something better. No looking for opportunities at the NFL level or any other major D-1 program.
The best coach in college football isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
The best coach in college football isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Sorry about your luck, Michigan.
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