Urban Meyer joins Ohio State Buckeyes NIL organization to help athletes

Urban Meyer is back with the Ohio State football program, and with Buckeyes athletics as a whole, assisting as a board member with THE Foundation, a group designed to get student-athletes more name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities.

Meyer was officially welcomed on by the non-profit organization, founded by Brian Schottenstein and former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones.

"There isn't a better person to have on the board than Coach Urban Meyer" Schottenstein said, via Columbus Dispatch. "It goes without saying that he's one of the greatest recruiters of student-athletes and coaches of all time. I appreciate his support and friendship."

Under new NCAA rules that govern not only college football but all university athletics, students are now allowed to profit off the use of their name and image.

Increased opportunity for athletes to make money in these arrangements has led third parties, including major football boosters, to set groups that poll money and resources from fans to fund NIL deals for players.

Schottenstein said he hopes THE Foundation, which should be ready by the time Ohio State hosts its annual spring football game, will become the largest NIL fund in the country.

"It's going to give Buckeye Nation a chance to contribute and really have a feel to support student-athletes on and off the field," Cardale Jones said.

"Hopefully, it will get our student-athletes more into charity work. We are not just trying to make it about the star players or guys whose names are being screamed on Saturdays and then just other sports. It's about the student-athlete body as a whole."

Jones famously inherited the starting quarterback position for Ohio State during the 2014 season after spending most of that year as the third-string. He helped lead the Buckeyes to a 59-0 victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game, a win over No. 1 Alabama in the CFP semifinal, and a national title victory.

Meyer went 83-9 as Ohio State head football coach over seven seasons and led the Buckeyes to the first-ever College Football Playoff national championship.

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