After leading Ohio State to a perfect season, Urban Meyer is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, according to the Football Writers Association of America.
In his first year in Columbus, Meyer led the Buckeyes to a 12-0 record and their first undefeated season since 2002.
His nomination for the honor, which is given to college football’s best coach, isn’t anything new.
Meyer, who is the sport’s second-winningest active Football Bowl Subdivision coach, won the award after leading Utah to a 12-0 mark in 2004.
While at Florida, Meyer was nominated for the accolade in 2008 – a season that saw him lead the Gators to a national championship.
Meyer joins Gary Andersen (Utah State), Dave Doeren (Northern Illinois), Brian Kelly (Notre Dame), Will Muschamp (Florida), Bill O’Brien (Penn State), David Shaw (Stanford), Bill Snyder (Kansas State) and Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M) as finalists for the award.
Fellow Big Ten coach O’Brien was named the conference’s Coach of the Year on Nov. 27 after guiding the Nittany Lions to a 8-4 record this season.
Among the nine coaches, only Meyer and Kelly led their respective teams to 12-0 records.
While OSU is barred from the year’s postseason because of NCAA violations and subsequent penalties, the Fighting Irish are scheduled to play Alabama (12-1) in the BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 7. 2013.
Meyer’s Buckeyes are ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press top 25 poll behind No. 1 Notre Dame and the No. 2 Alabama.
