In today’s college football, loyalty is hanging by a thread. The transfer portal and NIL deals have changed the landscape dramatically, leaving coaches constantly worried about losing star players. Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, for example, closed his spring game to prevent tampering. But when Urban Meyer arrived at Ohio State, the rules were different; it was more about tradition than contracts. The Big Ten followed a ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’, which restricted them from grabbing players from other conferences. But Meyer ignored it, flipping commitments, and ended up earning the wrath of the then-Wisconsin head coach, Bret Bielema. But despite the surge, Meyer didn’t flinch, and Ohio State’s championship run proves it.
Urban Meyer quickly stirred controversy upon arriving at Ohio State. Within months, he clashed with fellow Big Ten coaches, particularly Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema, over recruiting. This intensified when Meyer grabbed offensive lineman Kyle Dodson right from Wisconsin’s arms. The ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ was broken, with Meyer drawing criticism and media attention.
However, the conflict went beyond a simple broken agreement. While talking about the entire situation on CFB on Fox, Urban Meyer didn’t hold back his feelings. “I leave the SEC, and I come to Ohio State, and there was something called a ‘gentleman’s agreement.’” And Coach Bielema got really pissed off at me when we turned a couple of players. And, you know, I didn’t know about a gentleman’s agreement. I’m not sure what that means. In recruiting, you’ve got to go get players. We had two kids from Ohio committed to Wisconsin, and we got them. We flipped them. And people were saying, Well, in this conference you don’t do that. And I was like, I had not seen that anywhere in my contract,” Meyer said.
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer celebrates winning the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2019 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
But only if Wisconsin believes that it wasn’t a violation. According to a Sporting News article by Matt Hayes, Wisconsin alleged that Meyer and his staff committed more serious infractions. Reports indicate that Ohio State may have violated NCAA rules when former NFL players contacted high school recruits, including an encounter with Dodson during a recruiting dead period. Yet Urban Meyer was clear about what he wanted, and his motive was clear: he took the reins at Ohio State, and he will do anything to win.
Pressed on the issue, Bret Bielema offered no specifics, leaving room for speculation. “I wasn’t upset with Urban because of a gentleman’s agreement. It was something else that I don’t want to get into. I told him what I knew, and he said he would take care of it, and he did,” Bielema said. But there’s a big difference between accusing and actually doing anything, and Urban Meyer confirmed that he never had issues with the NCAA.
Let’s be real, the way the Big Ten is recruiting now is beyond imagination. Teams like Ohio State are leading the troop with 2nd rank in the Big 10 with 26 commits and 10 transfers. Even Penn State is in 4th position in the conference with 28 recruits and 8 transfers. This highlights just how dramatically recruiting patterns have evolved over time. And even Urban Meyer can see the shift as he says, “And as a result, look at the difference. I just told you, 71 players were drafted in the Big Ten Conference last year, compared to 28 just 10 years ago, 15 years ago. Yeah. Recruiting has changed in college football.”
But Urban Meyer never shied away from fighting some intense recruiting battles during his time despite the backlash.
Urban Meyer’s fierce recruiting battle
Urban Meyer, a renowned recruiter in college football, whether at Florida or Ohio State, secured many top recruits. However, some key recruits slipped away, altering the course of his teams. A significant loss at Ohio State was prized recruit Jabrill Peppers, who chose their rival, Michigan.
Peppers excelled against Ohio State, impacting games despite Michigan’s losses. He contributed on defense, offense (54 total yards in 2015), and special teams (a 44-yard kick return in 2016). That kind of versatility made Peppers the type of player Meyer always wanted on his side. “You talk about the Wolverines,” Meyer said. “Jabrill Peppers, I wanted him bad. I think he was a great player.”
Beyond the Peppers situation, Meyer remembers two agonizing recruiting defeats at Florida—both players blossomed into college and NFL stars. Patrick Peterson chose LSU and became a standout, while C.J. Spiller, just 25 miles from Gainesville, committed to Clemson. Meyer still questions what could have been had they played for the Gators.
“The one that I would say is Patrick Peterson at Florida,” Meyer said. “I had him. I think he’s going to be a Hall of Famer… love that player. And then the other one is C.J. Spiller. Twenty-five miles from the Swamp… If the Gators would have gotten that cat back in the ’07–’08 era, it wouldn’t have been fair how much talent we had on that team.” But despite those losses, Urban Meyer led Ohio State to their first-ever Big Ten Conference title in 2014.
So, the recruiting might have evolved now, but the mindset behind ‘poaching’ your favorite player is still the same, and it’s all about winning.
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