Former Ohio State head coach may not be calling the shots in college any longer, but he still knows what he’s talking about from his time with Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, and OSU. He’s been in the recruiting game, seen the differences in locations and facilities, and has the wins and rings to prove he’s been around the block a time or two.
He’s also not been one stuck in the past. He’s advocated for stipends for family members to travel to postseason games and has even embraced name, image, and likeness legislation, despite the warning of some growing pains.
And when discussing the new ability (subscription required) for college athletes to make money, he says that a place like Ohio State has some advantages over other programs. With Columbus being a major metropolitan area compared to other schools in places like Tuscaloosa and Clemson, the opportunities for endorsement deals and advertising are much more plentiful in the capital city of Ohio.
“I think Ohio State’s got a huge advantage,” he said.
In some ways, the brave, new world of collegiate amateurism we’re living in was set up for success already when Meyer started his “Real Life Wednesdays” and other post-college opportunities and talks. It was all a part of looking out for the individual after his playing days were over, but there was a recruiting slant to it as well.
'Ohio State's got a huge advantage.' Urban Meyer, with concerns, favors new NIL rights https://t.co/6RCDUTJjRU
— BuckeyeXtra.com (@BuckeyeXtra) July 2, 2021
“Our whole approach for seven years was to maximize the players’ value,” Meyer said. “But that was not name and likeness. That was for post-grad opportunity — internships, shadow opportunities.
“To me that changed Ohio State’s recruiting,” he said. “We were able to showcase what the great city of Columbus can do for you — if you just take care of your business — with job opportunities and that whole program we put together. That’s when you start going into Georgia and beating Georgia for players, going to Texas and beating Texas for players. I think this is going to be even bigger boon for Ohio State because of the corporate opportunities in Columbus.”
It’s true that OSU seems to be positioned well for successful recruiting when it comes to name, image, and likeness. And with a program that was already among the best in bringing in the best talent, it’ll be interesting to see if there’s another boost even as we all learn about how this will all work together.
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