Urban Meyer is in the midst of one of the greatest turnarounds of a college football program in the history of the sport.
But with each passing day and more coaching vacancies opening, the chance of Meyer staying in Bowling Green to see his transformation all the way through seems to be going down as fast as the temperature.
With the firing on Monday of Michigan State head coach Bobby Williams, Meyer’s name has already begun to circulate as a possible candidate for the Spartans’ head coaching position. And the list of schools interested in the second-year head coach figures to grow longer before it shrinks.
“Coach Meyer is preparing for the biggest game in his coaching career, and his focus is on having the Falcons prepared to take on a great team in Northern Illinois,” said J.D. Campbell, Bowling Green’s sports information director, in a statement released yesterday. “He nor [Athletic Director] Paul Krebs have been contacted about any opportunities outside of BGSU, and Urban’s sole focus remains on having his team compete for a MAC championship.”
Meyer, who has spent time at Ohio State, Colorado State and Notre Dame before landing in Bowling Green in December of 2000, led the Falcons to the largest win-improvement in the nation last year: winning six more games than the previous season. BG has continued their success this season, winning their first eight games, and has won 11 in a row dating back to last year.
Speculation has already begun in and around Detroit and East Lansing about successors to Williams, as Meyer, along with Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, and NFL assistants Sherm Lewis (Lions), Pat Shurmur (Eagles) and Charlie Baggett (Vikings) have all been mentioned.
Michigan State’s Athletic Director Ron Mason, who retired as the Spartans’ hockey coach after last season, said in a statement released after he announced Williams’ firing that he had no timetable for finding a replacement, but said that he will conduct his search thoroughly and find the best candidate.
“I haven’t really put a timetable together yet. I think that would be wrong. The most important thing is that we get the right coach,” Mason said. ” We’re going to select the best coach we can for this program. It’s my job to do what’s in the best interest of the department and this program.”
Meyer and Krebs are unlikely to comment on any decisions regarding Meyer’s future until after the season is over, which could not be until late December, depending on what Bowling Green does the rest of this season.
