Urban Meyer has new gig with Ohio State

Urban Meyer is heading back to Columbus — sort of.

The former Ohio State head coach is joining the board of directors of THE Foundation, an organization founded to support Ohio State’s NIL efforts. The collective, co-founded by former Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones, bills itself as “supporting OSU student athletes using name, image and likeness to help promote worthy charitable causes.”

We proudly welcome @CoachUrbanMeyer to our board. Urban has 3 Nat'l Championships on his resume, including the '14 title w/OSU. He's recognized as one of the best recruiters in college football history. Urban looks forward to seeing future success for OSU and local charities. pic.twitter.com/UEvRf7eKxf

— THE Foundation (@THEfoundation1_) March 16, 2022

Former Ohio State quarterback JT Barrett also joined the board of directors along with Meyer.

There is some irony in Meyer jumping into anything NIL-related. He was quite critical of the idea of it before the NCAA ultimately relented and allowed it. Of course, that was before Meyer’s awful tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars dramatically hurt his reputation and significantly narrowed his career options.

Some Ohio State players had some unflattering Meyer stories from his time as head coach, but there is no doubt that he is still very popular among the fanbase. Plus, his NFL tenure aside, his name still means a great deal in the college landscape. Anyone associated with the Buckeyes is probably happy to take advantage of that.

Photo: Oct 10, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer reacts during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports