Urban Meyer Future: Ohio State Coach to Retire After Rose Bowl

Urban Meyer will leave Ohio State at the end of the season, the school said on Tuesday.

Meyer will vacate his role after Ohio State faces the University of Washington on January 1 in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

It will be a fitting end for the 54-year-old, who has coached the Buckeyes to an 82-9 record in seven seasons with the university, but has never coached in the Rose Bowl.

Ohio State confirmed that Ryan Day, who is currently the Buckeyes' offensive coordinator, will take over as head coach on January 2. The school's athletic director, Gene Smith, will discuss the details of the decision alongside Meyer and Day in a press conference at 2 p.m. EST.

During a seven-year spell as head coach in Columbus, Meyer has taken the Buckeyes to the national title in 2014 and a combined 54-4 record in regular season games against Big Ten opponents.

Under Meyer, Ohio State has made five Bowl appearances so far, losing the Orange Bowl to Clemson in 2013, before winning the Sugar Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl in 2014 and 2015, when they beat Alabama and Notre Dame, respectively.

In 2016, the Buckeyes lost the Fiesta Bowl against Clemson and last year they claimed the Cotton Bowl Classic by beating the University of Southern California.

Despite going 12-1 this year and winning the Big Ten Championship game, the Buckeyes missed out on an invitation to the College Football Playoff, with Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Oklahoma selected instead.

Meyer's final season in Columbus was overshadowed by a scandal that saw him suspended for three games after he was found guilty of mishandling domestic assault allegations made against assistant coach Zach Smith.

The university announced the suspension in August at the end of a two-week long investigation, which revealed Meyer had also deliberately misinterpreted what he knew about Smith's circumstances in a public statement.

Smith was arrested for domestic assault in 2009, when he was working as a graduate assistant on Meyer's staff at the University of Florida. In July, Smith's ex-wife, Courtney, alleged Meyer and other staff on the Buckeyes' football program knew her husband was abusing her, but failed to stop him.

Meyer, who fired Smith on July 23 after a series of allegations of abuse emerged, initially denied knowing of any domestic issues between the Smiths, before backtracking only days after he was placed on leave.

"I wish I could go back and make different decisions, but I can't," Meyer said when the suspension was made public.

"These difficult lessons are a constant reminder of the duties and obligations that I have as a member of this university and this community. I take full responsibility, I take this responsibility very seriously and I will do better," he said.