Urban Meyer Ohio State: Report Says Meyer Agrees to 7-year $40 Million Offer

In a move that has been speculated by many over the past few weeks, WKMG Local 6 in Orlando, Fla. is reporting that former University of Florida head football coach Urban Meyer has agreed in principle to the same position at the Ohio State University.

The deal has been reported to the station's sports director David Pingalore by anonymous sources, however, meaning it has yet to be officially confirmed by either Ohio State or Meyer himself.

Signing Meyer would likely be a popular move in Buckeye nation as the football team has been embroiled in controversy over the past year or so. Long-time head coach Jim Tressel stepped down prior to the season as he was accused of turning a blind eye to his players trading Ohio State memorabilia for free tattoos.

This prompted former defensive coordinator Luke Fickell to take over the job as head coach for the 2011 season. At 6-5, the Buckeyes haven't lived up to their always-lofty expectations, however Fickell was left with a bit of a barren cupboard on offense with former quarterback Terrelle Pryor moving on to the NFL.

Whatever the case, if the Meyer signing does indeed come to fruition, then Ohio State clearly felt as though it needed an impact hire. Meyer has been a winning coach at every stop, particularly at Florida where he won two national championships.

Meyer also seemingly has a very clean record in terms of the way he has run his programs. With that said, landing Meyer would be the best of all worlds for Ohio State. Not only would the school be getting a coach with a proven track record of success, but also a coach with a fantastic reputation and great character.

Ohio State wants to put the Jim Tressel era behind it, and hiring Meyer would certainly do the trick. Meyer left Florida following the 2010 season due to a desire to spend more time with his family and tend to health concerns.

While Meyer told the Gainesville Sun that he had not yet been in contract negotiations with Ohio State on Monday, he expressed an interest in returning to coaching.

"

I'm in a good place right now mentally and physically. So if something happens with Ohio State, I'll have a decision to make. But there has been no interview. There has been no offer to make a decision about.

"

At this point Meyer signing on with Ohio State is still an unconfirmed report, but it would be an ideal fit for the Buckeyes and a logical landing spot for Meyer as well.