I knew Urban Meyer long before he was a household name. Before he was the national coach of the year. Before two national titles. Long before today's announcement that Urban will be taking over at Ohio State.
I had the privilege of working for him every day at Notre Dame during the 1997 season, when I was a student manager. And I can't say I've ever met a more intense or competitive person in my life.
Urban was the wide receivers coach at Notre Dame at the time, but even then...several years before he got his first head coaching shot at Bowling Green, I felt he was the best coach on the staff, and had the potential to be great.
He carried himself the same way in 1997, as he did at Florida when he was winning national titles.
He demanded excellence from his players every day, every rep. Nothing else. He demanded it from me too, for which I'm grateful.
And when he didn't think you were doing you're job he let you know....even if that person was the head coach, and he was an assistant. Meyer was born to be a great football coach.
When he stepped away from Florida last year, he said he was done with football for good. But I never thought it would be the end. This is a guy who loves coaching football WAY to much too give it up, let alone in his prime.
Turns out...his retirement didn't even last a year.
It was no surprise to me when he had immediate success at Utah and Florida.
The only thing that would surprise me know...is if he DOESN'T win big, and soon, at Ohio State.
