OSU players and coaches pose on the field at AT&T Stadium after the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship against Oregon on Jan. 12 in Arlington, Texas. OSU won, 42-20. Credit: Mark Batke / Photo editor
Having now won three National Championships in his time as a head football coach, Urban Meyer’s ability to formulate a plan is almost unrivaled in the college football universe.
And less than 24 hours after the confetti fell from the rafters and onto the Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium, Meyer showed up at his Tuesday morning press conference with what? A plan.
“Elite warriors, when they accomplish their mission, they celebrate,” Meyer said. “The next thing they do is learn from it and then the final thing is they look forward to the next mission. Right now we’re in the celebration phase. Eventually, we’re going to get to the ‘learn from it’ phase, and then the next guys like this wait for the next mission.”
The next mission for Meyer and the Buckeyes actually comes in multiple facets.
First, Meyer wants to have conversations with certain players about their NFL prospects. Maybe the most intriguing of those will be with redshirt-sophomore quarterback Cardale Jones.
While he doesn’t know what Jones’ next step is, Meyer said he does believe that Jones has what it takes to get to the next level.
“It’s kind of cool to be sitting here using the word NFL next to Cardale’s name,” Meyer said. “I will tell you this: he could play in the NFL. He certainly has a talent.”
Jones, on the other hand, seemed to be a bit skeptical of his ability to play at an NFL-caliber level with just three collegiate starts under his belt.
“Guys play their whole career to have that build-up and have that motivation to play in the NFL,” Jones said. “In my personal opinion, I’m not ready for that level yet.”
That conversation between Jones and Meyer is not likely to be the only conversation that will take place regarding OSU’s quarterbacks. With injured redshirt-freshman J.T. Barrett and senior Braxton Miller looking to bounce back for the Buckeyes, there might be a logjam at quarterback that would need to be cleared up heading into the 2015 season.
And while he’s got a plan, Meyer said he isn’t ready to handle that quandary just yet.
“At some point, I think I’ll be ready to comment on it and have that conversation,” Meyer said. “At some point, there will be some conversations, and I think you guys know by now we’re pretty transparent about everything we do, and at the appropriate time, we’ll have those conversations.”
Although he might be trying to stay in the moment, Meyer did offer a glimpse into what he sees down the line for the team that will look to repeat as national champions.
“Well, I think we’ll be very good,” Meyer said of next season. “I think we have to watch for complacency in the program and we’re going to watch that closely.”
OSU’s 2015 season is set to begin on Sept. 7 against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
For now, however, as he explained numerous times throughout the press conference, the plan is to allow the things that can wait to wait, and for the 2015 National Champions to celebrate.
“We’re still reveling in the win and no sleep, and I want these players to really appreciate it, because I am,” Meyer said. “It’s something I’ve learned over my journey is going to enjoy this darned thing.”
