Ex-Ohio State Coach From Urban Meyer’s National Championship Staff to Join Rookie NFL Head Coach at $5.5B Team

The pipeline from Columbus to the NFL continues to flow, as a key member of Urban Meyer’s 2014 national championship staff is heading west to join a rookie head coach. He has now been hired as the running backs coach for the Arizona Cardinals, a franchise valued at $5.5 billion, and looks to rebuild it from the ground up.

“Sources: Miami running backs coach Matt Merritt has accepted a job as the Arizona Cardinals running backs coach,” reported ESPN’s Pete Thamel. 

Over a decade of NFL experience has prepared Mike LaFleur for the Cardinals’ head coaching position. Now, as the rookie head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, he aims to rejuvenate the team. Matt Merritt, who has also drawn his attention, has accumulated over 10 years of coaching running backs across various roles. Merritt’s coaching career started as a graduate assistant at Division III Capital University in 2010.

Merritt’s coaching climb ran through St. Charles Preparatory, where he cut his teeth as the running backs coach. He later made a stop in Columbus at Ohio State, long before the Ryan Day era. In Columbus, he stayed from 2013 to 2015 as an assistant running backs coach, the longest stint of his career. After this, he made stops at DII Ohio Dominican, Elon, James Madison, and Tennessee, among others. The last stop was in Miami from 2024 to 2025.

It was when Merritt held the coaching position at Ohio State that the Buckeyes captured the 2015 national championship. More honors followed, like the 2016 Fiesta Bowl and a Big Ten championship. With Merritt on their coaching roster, they also emerged in the 2014 Orange Bowl.

During his time at Ohio State, Merritt’s versatility truly made a difference for the team. He collaborated closely with wide receivers, running backs, special teams, and the defensive scout team, highlighting his diverse skills.

It was a wonderful opportunity for him to help develop Buckeyes stars like Ezekiel Elliott and Curtis Samuel. Additionally, he coached several standout players, including Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller, playing a big part in their achievements.

His guidance helped Ohio State uncover its greatest running back ever. The 2015 New Year’s Day game in the Superdome had the excitement of a heavyweight fight. When Alabama cut the lead to 34-28, Ohio State fought to stay in the game. After Alabama pinned Ohio State at the 5-yard line, the Buckeyes got a crucial first down and then lined up at their 15. Cardale Jones handed the ball to Elliott on the read-option, leading to one of the most memorable plays in the program’s history.

South Dakota shares Ohio State’s feeling of losing a staffer to the NFL. The former Nebraska safeties coach, Miles Taylor, who served as the Coyotes’ defensive backs coach, is now heading to the Baltimore Ravens. Meanwhile, Urban Meyer’s coaching tree keeps delivering, with another former Ohio State assistant now making waves on the Super Bowl LX stage.

Former Buckeye leader now steering Patriots to NFL’s biggest game

The New England Patriots had been going through a tough time recently. They have been stuck with a 4-13 record for the past couple of years. That’s when they counted on one of the former Ohio State coaches, Mike Vrabel, to flip their luck. Finally, under him, the Patriots punched a Super Bowl ticket this year, wrapping up a 14-3 season.

He is the same coach that Meyer trusted. In one of the interviews before hitting the big stage, Vrabel shared how his first interview for the coaching role at the Buckeyes was a colossal flop. 

“Nobody’s gonna have a worse first interview than I did,” shared the former Ohio State defensive line coach. “I sat down with Urban Meyer in front of a staff, interviewed for a position, completely bombed it.”

Just as the NFL continues to hire from Ohio State’s coaching ranks, the Buckeyes have answered by adding NFL experience of their own. Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith has arrived in Columbus as Ryan Day’s offensive coordinator. That’s how Ohio State and the NFL remain tightly intertwined.