Urban Meyer Explains Why Penn State's Opening Ranks Behind LSU, Florida

Urban Meyer continues to pitch Penn State as one of the top coaching jobs in the country, though he doesn't consider it better than the current SEC openings.

During an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd one day before the Penn State-Ohio State game, Meyer ranked Penn State's opening behind those of LSU and Florida. His primary reason: recruiting.

Meyer said that Penn State's recruiting territory is not comparable to those of LSU and Florida, primarly based on regional talent. On FOX's Big Noon Kickoff before the Penn State-Ohio State game, Meyer said that Penn State can't rely on western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh and New Jersey to compete as a recruiting territory with the South.

"They're all three blue blood programs, they're all three that have national championship expectations," Meyer said on the show. "But to asnwer your question, the one that stands out to me, and you can say I'm somewhat biased, is Florida.

"... Florida and LSU to me are right there, and it's all about recruiting base. The problem with Penn State [is], Penn State has the same problem Notre Dame does. You have to go recruit the world. You can't put [it in] a little footprint.

"At LSU, you can fill a team with a short plane ride from Baton Rouge. The Gators, you can certainly fill a roster within a three-, four-hour radius around your school."

Meyer's comments echo those he made in October, just after Penn State fired James Franklin following a 3-3 start to the season. Meyer said he was "shocked that Penn State fired Franklin, who won 70 percent of his games in 11+ years with the Nittany Lions. But he also said that Penn State's location made it a difficult place to recruit in contrast with southern schools like LSU and Florida.

However, Penn State has one advantage, particularly over LSU. Both Florida and LSU have interim presidents, while LSU also has an interim athletic director after Scott Woodward's firing this week. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry also stepped into LSU's coaching search, particularly regarding coaching contracts.

Penn State Nittany Lions takes the field before the college football game at Ohio Stadium. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Meanwhile, Penn State has stability at both leadership positions, with President Neeli Bendapudi and Athletic Director Pat Kraft. In fact, Meyer previously suggested that Kraft likely had a target in mind when he fired Franklin on Oct. 12.

"I don't really understand what's going on there with the governor, and now there's no athletic director," Meyer said of LSU on The Herd. "... If you don't have one [an athletic director] and you report to the governor or the board of supervisors, you'd have to really research that one."

Regarding the Penn State-Ohio State game, Meyer said that the Buckeyes should be wary even as big favorites. Oddsmakers and bettors suggested the same thing. What began as a 20.5-point spread favoring the Buckeyes fell to 17.5 points before kickoff. Even though Penn State has a potentially dicey situation at quarterback, with two scholarship players out for the game.

"One thing that's not being questioned [about Penn State] is talent," Meyer told Cowherd. "... Basically this is the same roster that was three points from playing for the national title last year, and a majority of that team came back.

"The question is not if the talent is there. Here is the issue: You get exposed sometimes when things go bad. ... I worry a little bit about Penn State. They got exposed when they lost that game [to Oregon] and fell off the map."

Meyer, the former Buckeyes coach, is in Columbus not only for FOX Sports but also to ring the Ohio State victory bell.

"There's no doubt who is WRU, it's the Buckeyes." @CoachUrbanMeyer breaks down what makes @OhioStateFB so dominant at the WR position in this week's edition of Urban's Playbook 📝🏈 pic.twitter.com/1X2lZTsewl
— Big Noon Kickoff (@BNKonFOX) November 1, 2025

More Penn State Football