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Ohio State Enters Post-Urban Meyer Era

Although the finality of his decision has been met with skepticism, Urban Meyer chose to retire as Ohio State head coach after the 2018 campaign.

He's handing Ryan Day, formerly the offensive coordinator, the keys to a thriving program. Ohio State finished 13-1 with a Big Ten crown and Rose Bowl victory in 2018, and Meyer posted an 83-9 record during his seven years in Columbus.

The Buckeyes are built to compete for national championships without him. That burden of expectation now falls on Day.

New Faces, Familiar Places

Mack Brown is best known for winning a national championship at Texas, but he spent 10 years with North Carolina immediately before his UT tenure. And now, Mack is back at UNC.

Dana Holgorsen's rise through the ranks included a two-year stop at Houston as the offensive coordinator. Following an eight-year stint at West Virginia, he's decided to return to H-Town.

Manny Diaz spent three seasons as Miami's defensive coordinator and accepted his first head coaching opportunity at Temple in December. Within three weeks, however, Mark Richt retired, and Diaz headed back as the boss.

Additionally, former Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley is embarking on his third stint at Maryland. He was in College Park from 1997-2002 and 2012-2015 as an assistant.

Familiar Faces, New Places

While the coaches above have a connection to those schools, two former SEC bosses jumped at the chance to be the head man again. And you wouldn't have expected the places.

Les Miles, who led LSU to 112 victories from 2005-16, has taken over a floundering Kansas program and is hoping to rebuild it.

Jim McElwain's tenure at Florida ended poorly, but one year assisting Jim Harbaugh's staff at Michigan led to a head coaching gig. McElwain has assumed control at Central Michigan.