Urban Meyer joins James Laurinaitis on College Football Hall of Fame ballot
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A head coach that brought the Buckeyes its last national championship has joined one of the great Ohio State linebackers on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot.
Former Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer has been added to the 2025 ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame. The only other Buckeye on this year's list is former linebacker James Laurinaitis, who made his debut on the ballot last year.
Meyer came to Ohio State in 2012 after successful coaching spurts with Bowling Green, Utah, and Florida, where he won two national championships. The Toledo native coached the Buckeyes to its last national championship in 2014, winning the inaugural College Football Playoff with wins over Alabama and Oregon.
In seven seasons in Columbus, Meyer went 83-9 before announcing his retirement in Dec. 2018. He went on to coach the Jaguars for 13 games in 2021 before being fired and returning as a college football commentator.
Laurinaitis was a three-time first-team All-American in Columbus during the mid-2000s and won multiple individual awards. He won the Big Ten's defensive player of the year twice and claimed the Butkus Award and Bronko Nagurski awards as a top defensive player in the nation.
While at Ohio State, Laurinaitis won four Big Ten titles and played in two national championship games, where the Buckeyes lost to Florida in 2007 and LSU in 2008. After playing seven full seasons in the NFL, Laurinaitis shifted to coaching and is the Buckeyes linebackers coach heading into the 2024 season.
Other notable people on the ballot include Nick Saban, Aaron Donald, Mark Ingram, DeSean Jackson, Ryan Leaf, Michael Oher, Manti Te'o, and Michael Vick. The College Football Hall of Fame is located in Atlanta and the class of 2025 will be announced early next year.