Chris Spielman

A star linebacker when Meyer was a graduate assistant under then-head OSU coach Earle Bruce, Spielman and Meyer have become close friends after working together the last two years as ESPN analysts.

On what defines him
“Passion. He’s such a passionate personality. You never have to guess what he’s about or where he stands. When he was a graduate assistant – you could tell. He just had a presence about him, an “it” quality … whatever “it” is – he has it. I noticed it even back then.”

On expectations
“He’s not like a lot of other coaches. His standards are higher and he won’t let anyone compromise those standards. A true judge of a great coach is ‘Can you take what you preach, what your guys do on the practice field, and what your staff is teaching, and can you translate that into what you do on the field?’ If they can, history has shown with him, that Ohio State is gonna win a lot of games.”

On staying healthy
“When we first started talking again, we talked about the blessings of contentment, as opposed to being complacent and it’s okay to be satisfied with the way you are as a husband or as a coach and learn to enjoy the journey a little bit more. And I think he will.”

On coming home
“It all just aligned. I really think he’d be working with me again this year if [interim coach] Luke [Fickell] went 12-1. I don’t think he was pursuing jobs, but obviously it’s a job he’s always coveted. In his basement in Florida, there was a picture of Woody Hayes there. He’s the first one to admit that.”

Chuck Heater

Currently the defensive coordinator at Temple, Chuck Heater spent time on the same OSU staff as Meyer under Earle Bruce and was a member of both of his national champion Florida teams.

On Intensity
“He’s very serious, and a very intense person, at least about his job. He’s the very best at what he does. I’ve been around a lot of great coaches … but how he went about his job, and how he handled his coaches, his players … he’s as good as I have ever seen.”

On balance
“This last year, he’s got a chance to study himself; I think he’s recognized what a lot of us have as people. He knows he has to maintain balance, but that’s easier said than done. You try to temper that with the intensity, which is always there – that’s what makes him the great coach he is.”

On the lighter side
“He’s got a real good sense of humor; he’s a real quick-witted guy. But unless you’re on the front end of things, you never really see it.”

On what we’ll see in 2012
“You’ll see a team that’s well trained, well conditioned and a team that will play hard. That’s what you’ll see. The rest of it, you’ll figure out as you go. But, they’ll be hitting it full throttle from Game 1.”

Reggie Nelson

Now a safety for the Cincinnati Bengals, Nelson was one of the best players on Urban Meyer’s first national championship team in 2006.

On discipline
“Discipline was a big thing for Coach Meyer. He had zero tolerance; if you got in trouble, you were gonna have to deal with Coach Meyer. He was never light on anybody to my knowledge. He gave you a fair chance, depending on what situation you were in.”

On family
“He’s a family man, and it was always a family-oriented team – that’s what we were built on. That’s why he had zero tolerance: not only were you representing the school, you were representing his family. He wanted you to feel at home.”

On stress
“I never saw any of that. If anything was bothering him, he never showed it. I was kind of shocked when I heard about him being hospitalized. But, it just goes to shows you what type of guy he is, how dedicated he is to the team. But there comes a point where you have to do the right thing, and do what’s right for the family.”

On his love for the game
“I always get a kick out of when a player does something on the field and he will just look at you, like ‘Wow, I can’t believe what you just did!’ His facial expressions are so funny. He can be like a little kid; he just gets such a kick out of football.”

On the future
“The kids are gonna love him. There’s gonna be one way, and it’s Urban Meyer’s way, and once they realize that, they’re gonna get a national championship. It’s gonna be a lot of fun at Ohio State.”