Penn State Scandal: Why Urban Meyer Won't Save Penn State from Disaster

With Penn State reportedly planning the exit of legendary head coach Joe Paterno in the face of the Jerry Sandusky child sex scandal, there has been some speculation as to who might follow in the footsteps of the all-time winningest coach in Division I history.

Of course, nothing has been confirmed yet with regards to Paterno's departure, but things certainly don't look good for him at this point. If Paterno were to leave, Penn State would need to find a new coach capable of moving the program past the scandal.

One possible candidate who has already garnered a ton of support is former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer. Not only did Meyer win two National Championships at Florida, but he ran a squeaky-clean program and is regarded as one of the best coaches in recent memory.

Even so, this scandal is simply too great for any one man to conquer it, and that includes Meyer. From a football standpoint, Meyer would be a great choice. Football isn't exactly the problem right now, though.

The Nittany Lions are currently 8-1 and stand an excellent chance of playing in the Big Ten Championship Game for a shot at playing in the Rose Bowl. With Meyer in the fold, Penn State may be a perennial contender, but the Sandusky scandal will affect the university in deep and profound ways.

Although the scandal is related to a former football coach, it puts a black mark on the entire school. Sandusky's transgressions apparently happened right under everyone's noses, and even when he was caught by assistant Mike McQueary, the university didn't report him.

In time, people may forgive the university for what happened on their watch, but I don't think they will ever forget. A successful football team may be a momentary distraction from the scandal, but it will forever be ingrained in the fabric of Penn State.

What many seem to be forgetting, though, is that Meyer may not want any part of the Penn State situation. In fact, he may never want to coach again, as he does appear to be happy in retirement. He has had a chance to take care of his health problems, spend more time with his family and he presumably makes a good chunk of change on the side as an analyst.

Perhaps, if the perfect situation came around, he could be persuaded, but Penn State would seem to be the antithesis of perfect right now. Some people like a challenge, and restoring legitimacy to Penn State would certainly be just that, but it almost seems impossible.

The reality of the situation is that no coach that is chosen will be able to immediately change public perception. That isn't likely to occur for many years down the road, if it even does at all. Because of that, Meyer can't save Penn State from disaster, but nobody else can either.