Folks, the dream may be dead before it ever really began. Michigan State fans have been hoping for Urban Meyer ever since Mel Tucker was fired back in 2023. The “Raise the Flag” movement lasted for what felt like an eternity before Michigan State hired Jonathan Smith.
Rumor has it that Alan Haller went behind the donors’ backs to make the hire when they wanted Urban to be the next coach. It was a move that, looking back, really hurt the program.
Now, Smith doesn’t have a ton of donor support and the program looks ready to move on from him after an 8-12 start to his coaching career in East Lansing. Fans, too, have shifted their attention back to a coaching search, and why not circle the wagons on Urban again?
Word on the street was that a deal was essentially reached between Michigan State and Meyer back in 2023, but Haller wasn’t on board — that’s all rumor, nothing confirmed by anyone in the know.
With the Spartans likely to be looking for a coach in the near future, it might be worth reaching back out to Meyer. Unfortunately, he told a reporter on Thursday at his restaurant that he doesn’t have the desire to come out of retirement with his name being floated around big job openings.
Despite eight Power 4 schools looking for head football coaches, including Penn State, LSU, and Florida, Urban Meyer is not interested in getting back into coaching.
— Kellyanne Stitts (@KellyanneStitts) October 31, 2025
I also asked if #Buckeyes OC Brian Hartline is ready to be a head coach and he said yes.
"big Brian Hartline… pic.twitter.com/mGSHKAubiq
For any Michigan State fans holding out hope that Meyer might be interested in circling back with the Spartans in this year’s coaching carousel, this probably felt like a knife right through the heart.
The Urban Meyer dream may officially be dead — but he did say this back in 2023.