Urban Meyer Reveals College Football Program Best Equipped for Long-Term Success

Urban Meyer believes this Big Ten football program is in the best shape to succeed in the long run.

Jan 9, 2026; Atlanta, GA, USA; Urban Meyer on the sidelines prior to the 2025 Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff between the Oregon Ducks and the Indiana Hoosiers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Long-term stability is an incredibly challenging status for a college football program to attain.

Florida, Auburn, Florida State and Clemson have all hit low points after their national championship victories within the last 20 years. Even Alabama underwent 25 years of instability between Bear Bryant and Nick Saban before its dynastic run in the 2010s.

Three-time national champion head coach and FOX college football analyst Urban Meyer listed the 10 programs best set up for long-term success on a recent edition of "The Triple Option Podcast" with Big Noon Kickoff co-panelist Rob Stone. Topping Meyer's list is Ohio State, one of his four stops as a head coach from 2001-18.

Meyer guided the Buckeyes to a national championship two years after a postseason ban

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer hoists the trophy following their 42-20 win over Oregon in the College Football Playoff National Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 12, 2015. (Adam Cairns / The Columbus Dispatch) | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ohio State is one of the few programs that can say it was a force in virtually every era of college football. The Buckeyes claim nine national championships, the earliest from 1942 and the latest in 2024, seven years after Meyer's retirement.

Meyer took the job at Ohio State while the Buckeyes were embroiled in NCAA sanctions from the end of Jim Tressel's tenure, a scandal colloquially known as "Tattoogate." NCAA investigations generally bring about significant damage to football programs; Penn State and Ole Miss were stuck in the mud for multiple seasons in the 2010s as a result of violations under prior head coaches.

Ohio State was barred from postseason competition during Meyer's first season, but it still finished the regular season 12-0. Two seasons later, the Buckeyes comfortably won the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game against Oregon.

How much of Ohio State's 2027 class was recruited within its footprint?

The majority of Meyer's rationale for Ohio State as the most sustainable program in the long term is its ability to sell itself to recruits nationally. Meyer noted that much of the Big Ten was unable to do this almost a decade ago.

"The Big Ten was caught in recruiting their footprint. I kept hearing that when I was hired their in 2012 and I kept telling people 'I don't give a (expletive) about the footprint,'" Meyer said. "'We're gonna go after the top five running backs, top five receivers (and) top five linemen and I don't care if they're in Texas or Georgia or anywhere.'"

This idea still holds true with the Buckeyes' 2027 recruiting class. Only five of Ohio State's 19 current commitments are Ohio natives, and nine of the commitments are from states where at least one SEC program resides.