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Ohio State Football: Top 5 candidates to replace Urban Meyer if Buckeyes move on

By Quinn Douglas

ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 25: Urban Meyer head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes after the game against the Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State won 31 to 20 on November 25, 2017 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 25: Urban Meyer head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes after the game against the Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State won 31 to 20 on November 25, 2017 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

5. Mike Vrabel (Head Coach, Tennessee Titans)

Yes, this does seem like a bit of a stretch, but let’s not ignore the history here. Vrabel has bled scarlet and gray since his youth in Akron, Ohio, which is the heart of Buckeye country and he lived the dream being an All-American defensive end for coach John Cooper from 1993 to 1996. Vrabel’s 13-year NFL career featured stints with the Steelers, Chiefs and most notably Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots.

Ohio State gave Vrabel his first coaching opportunity following his retirement from the NFL when he was hired by Luke Fickell for the 2011 season as linebackers coach. The following season, Urban Meyer was brought him and retained Vrabel as the defensive line coach. After two seasons, Vrabel made the jump to the NFL, spending four years as an assistant for the Houston Texans before being named head coach of the Tennessee Titans after the 2017 season.

While jumping from being an NFL head coach to a college head coach maybe head-scratching to some, it makes a lot of sense for two reasons. The first, Ohio State is a major national brand and is more recognizable than more than a third of the teams in the NFL. Second and more importantly, this is a chance for the Ohio-native to lead the premier school in his state in continued success and glory, and that is a hard offer to resist.

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