Urban Meyer Recalls Bret Bielema's Furious Reaction After He Broke the ‘Gentleman's Agreement'
Former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer hasn't worked in the college ranks since 2018, but his legacy and impact still resonate all these years later. The 60-year-old coach seems to be enjoying his time away from the game as a co-host of "The Triple Option" podcast and making the rounds across media to recall stories from the good ol' days.
Advertisement
On Wednesday, Meyer joined Colin Cowherd on "The Herd" to talk about the Big Ten, the Week 1 matchup between the Texas Longhorns and Ohio State and how he inadvertently upset another Big Ten coach on the recruiting trail.
'I leave the SEC and I come to Ohio State, and there was something called a 'gentleman's agreement.' [Then-Wisconsin] coach [Bret] Bielema got really pissed off at me when we turned a couple players."
In 2012, Meyer returned to the college football coaching ranks by joining the Ohio State Buckeyes. That year, Meyer assembled the fourth-best recruiting class, according to Rivals, a significant improvement from the school's 11th-best class in 2011.
Former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer salutes fans chanting his name.© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
"I didn't know [about any] 'gentleman's agreement.' I'm not sure what that means," said Meyer. "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.
Advertisement
"People were saying, 'Well, you know, in this conference, you don't do that.' And I was like, I don't ... I [didn't see] that anywhere in my contract. That's not against the rules. I got a job at Ohio State to go win games. So, I'm going to recruit whoever the heck we want to recruit."
As it turns out, 2012 would be Bielema's last season coaching at Wisconsin. Bielema is now the head coach for the Illinois Fighting Illini, a position he has held since 2021.
In telling the story, Meyer is making a larger point about how recruiting has changed in the Big Ten. In closing, he cites that 71 Big Ten players were drafted into the NFL in 2025 compared to 28 just 10 years ago.
In 2015, the Big Ten had 155 players drafted into the NFL over the previous five years, finishing behind the SEC (246), ACC (185), Pac-12 (160) and ahead of the Big 12 (120), which supports Meyer's conclusion.
Advertisement
Related: Urban Meyer Makes Stance Clear on Michigan's Sign-Stealing Scandal
Related: Urban Meyer Hails Two Big Ten Powerhouses For Adapting to New NIL Era
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
There's a New No. 1 Team in College Football After Latest Poll Released
There's a New No. 1 Team in College Football After Latest Poll Released originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The college football season is weeks away from kicking off, and on Monday, the AP Poll officially released its preseason rankings. Although the now-defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes finished the 2024 season as the No. 1 team, they have already been bumped from the top spot. As revealed in the latest AP Poll rankings, which have been taking place since 1936, the 60 journalists who vote to decide the rankings ended up bumping the Buckeyes to the No. 3 team in the country. This paved the way for a team that Ohio State actually beat last season to supplant them from being the best team in college football. AP Poll Announces New No. 1 College Football Team Although the Buckeyes got the best of them in their College Football Playoff Semifinal matchup, the Texas Longhorns were tabbed as college football's newest No. 1 team. The Longhorns narrowly edged out Penn State in what the AP reported was the closest vote since 1998. In addition to being atop the AP Poll, the Longhorns were also tabbed as the No. 1 team in the Coaches Poll this past week. Why Texas is the No. 1 Team in College Football Despite having a program record 12 players drafted during the 2025 NFL Draft, the Longhorns have been stockpiling on talent over the past few years. Not only is former No. 1 overall recruit, Arch Manning, taking over at quarterback, but he is also joined by a roster flooded with blue-chip recruits. The Longhorns have had a top-six class in each of the past four years, with the 2025 class coming in as the No. 1 class in the country. 2025: No. 1 Class 2024: No. 6 Class 2023: No. 3 Class 2022: No. 5 Class The Longhorns are also coming off back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances, making it to the semifinal round in each of the past two seasons. They also have the luxury of returning 61% of their production on defense from a season ago, indicating they have a chance to field yet another dominant unit. While it'll come down to more than just one player, many believed Manning could have led them to a title last season instead of Ewers, but now that he is at the helm, he will have the chance to do just that. Why Ohio State Isn't the No. 1 Team in College Football Similar to Texas, the Buckeyes sent a ton of players to the NFL, tying a program record with 14. However, while Ohio State ranks higher in returning production at No. 101 to Texas' 103, the biggest question surrounding the Buckeyes is their quarterback situation. With Will Howard off to the NFL, Ryan Day is choosing between redshirt freshman Julian Sayin and redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz. Unlike Manning who started two games and also had a significant role down the stretch for Texas, neither Sayin and Kienholz played any critical snaps last season. Kienholz hasn't attempted a pass since 2023, while Sayin attempted just 12 in mop-up duty last season. Week 1 Clash Between Texas and Ohio State The No. 1 Longhorns will have to defend their ranking quickly into the season as they'll head to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes in Week 1. Both ESPN's "College GameDay," and Fox's "Big Noon Kickoff" will be in attendance for the No. 1 vs. No. 3 matchup. The game itself will kick off at 12:00 p.m. ET and air on story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Heriberto Hernandez hits go-ahead 3-run HR as Marlins beat Brewers 7-4
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Heriberto Hernandez hit a go-ahead three-run homer and the Miami Marlins beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-4 on Saturday night. Agustín Ramírez and Dane Myers also homered for the Marlins in their fourth straight win. Janson Junk (5-2) allowed three runs and eight hits in five innings. Tyler Phillips pitched the final four innings for his first career save. He allowed three hits including Andrew Vaughn's eighth home run — a solo shot in the ninth. Vaughn doubled leading off the second against Junk and advanced to third on Isaac Collins' single. Brice Turang struck out and Collins was caught stealing, but Caleb Durbin delivered a two-out single for a 1-0 lead. Durbin was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. Dane Myers led off the third with a single against Jose Quintana (7-4) before stealing his 15th base. Javier Sanoja had an RBI double to tie it 1-1 but was thrown out by center fielder Jackson Chourio trying to stretch his hit into a triple. Ramírez led off the fourth with his 15th homer for a 2-1 lead. Chourio led off the Brewers' fourth with a double to extend his hitting streak to 19 games. Collins and Turang had back-to-back two-out doubles for a 3-2 lead. Sanoja reached on an error at second by Turang to begin the fifth and advanced on Xavier Edwards' single. Quintana retired the next two before Hernandez hit his fourth homer for a 5-3 lead. Quintana allowed five runs — two earned — and seven hits in five innings. Kyle Stowers greeted Grant Anderson with a double leading off the sixth and Myers followed with his fifth homer for a 7-3 advantage. Key moment Hernandez's blast stole the momentum from the Brewers, who had just grabbed the lead. Key stat Chourio's hitting streak is the longest by a Brewers player age 22 or younger. Gary Sheffield, Robin Yount and Paul Molitor all had 16-game runs. Up next Marlins RHP Eury Pérez (3-3, 3.23 ERA) starts Sunday against Brewers RHP Brandon Woodruff (2-0, 1.65). ___ AP MLB: The Associated Press
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
"That's just the type of team that we are, and you know we're never out of it."
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Isaac Collins talked about comeback wins after his walk-off HR during a win against the New York Mets at American Family Field in Milwaukee on August 10, 2025.
