Urban Meyer has officially broken his silence regarding rumors that he met with Penn State officials about the school’s head coaching vacancy. The former Ohio State coach laughed off the reports during a recent episode of The Triple Option podcast with Rob Stone and Mark Ingram, calling out sports radio host Zach Gelb for spreading what he described as false information.
Gelb, who hosts The Zach Gelb Show on the Infinity Sports Network, claimed earlier this week that Meyer had “great interest” in becoming the next head coach at Penn State. Citing two sources, Gelb said the talks broke down after discussions about name, image, and likeness policies. According to his report, Penn State did not view Meyer as prepared to lead a modern program in the NIL era.
Meyer responded directly on his podcast, denying that he ever met with Penn State about the job. He admitted to having breakfast with Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick, but said the meeting was strictly about politics, not football.
“Who is the guy again? My phone started blowing up,” Meyer said, taking his first poke at Gelb. “Yeah, I give him credit. And he has two sources that said that I met with the Senator. We became friends. Rob, you were there with Dave McCormick when we covered a Penn State game. And I stayed in touch with him, and we had breakfast in the Capitol, and we talked politics, Mark. And then there’s another one. He said, ‘The source says that I had conversations with Penn State about the NIL, and I didn’t know how to handle the NIL or so.' So first of all, that never happened.”
It doesn't seem like Urban Meyer is heading to Penn State
Gelb stood firm after Meyer’s comments, defending his reporting and insisting the story was legitimate.
“Urban Meyer was interested in the Penn State job and Penn State rejected him because of NIL,” Gelb said. “That’s what I was told, and I will stand by that.”
While Meyer continues to downplay any coaching ambitions, speculation persists. The Nittany Lions are still searching for a permanent replacement for former head coach James Franklin, and Meyer’s proven track record makes him a tempting option. But for now, the three-time national champion insists the Penn State rumors are nothing more than noise.
