Urban Meyer reveals his toughest coaching foe (and it’s not Jim Harbaugh)

Urban Meyer expounds on who his toughest Big Ten coaching competitor was.

Urban Meyer understands how many great coaches he’s gone against in the Big Ten.

When he was at Ohio State for seven seasons, seemingly every program of note was led by a top-tier coach. Meyer had several worthy adversaries, but when asked by his FOX colleague Rob Stone of Big Noon Kickoff, one name stands out above the rest in Meyer’s mind.

“Well, the guy that comes to mind is Mark Dantonio,” said Meyer. “He’s a dear friend and one of the best coaches I’ve ever gone against. And you remember — back in ’12, ’13 now, that was legit, legit Michigan State football. They were a top-10 program and an elite defense.”

In Dantonio’s 13 years leading the Michigan State Spartans (2007-19), he went 114-57 overall, 69-39 overall and 6-6 in bowl games. Michigan State won the Big Ten three times under Dantonio (2010, 2013, 2015) and won its division three times as well (2011, 2013, 2015). The Spartans reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history in 2015.

Urban Meyer sees Mark Dantonio as his best competitor in the Big Ten.

Though Michigan State only won 10 games one in his final four years in East Lansing, from 2010 to 2015, Dantonio’s Spartans were arguably the best program in the Big Ten. It’s that six-year stretch that will eventually earn Dantonio a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame. Michigan State was an absolute buzz saw during Dantonio’s coaching prime.

While Meyer believes Dantonio was the best coach he went up against, he did offer praise to some of his fellow Big Ten coaching colleagues as well. He spoke highly of both Wisconsin Badgers head coaches in Gary Andersen and Paul Chryst, as well as both Michigan Wolverines head coaches he went up against in Brady Hoke and Jim Harbaugh.

“I look at Wisconsin, the battles. Gary Andersen was there and one of my former coaches. And then (Paul) Chryst goes in there. So Wisconsin had street fights. And then you had Brady Hoke, who — I know maybe his record or whatever, but I just had a lot of respect for him, recruited his tail off. And then coach Harbaugh — the street fights we had.”

Though praise of that quartet outside of Andersen, who used to be on Meyer’s Utah Utes staff, seemed like formalities, his praise of Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin was very legit.

“And then the one place I will not miss that I will not go is that’s the White Out. That place has turned into an inferno. I hope we get to go there (with FOX Sports). I hope Big Noon (Kickoff) gets to go there and at least get a show there. I know James Franklin’s done a great job, but I’m telling you — that environment? I’m going to go in there as a broadcaster, not as a coach.”

So the more you think about it, there was no other choice for the top dog in Meyer’s eyes than Dantonio. Sure, your brain might be wired to think Harbaugh because of what he did at Stanford and in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. However, Michigan never beat Ohio State when Meyer was the head coach. Dantonio would occasionally beat the Buckeyes.

Overall, Meyer has a ton of respect for what Dantonio did in his 13 years in East Lansing.

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