To say it's been a difficult year for Urban Meyer would be putting it lightly.
In August, the Ohio State head coach was suspended from his duties for more than a month -- and three total games -- as a result of an investigation into his handling of accusations of domestic violence made against former wide receivers coach Zach Smith. Last week, his team suffered its first defeat of the season -- a 49-20 throttling at the hands of Purdue -- which may have very well ended the Buckeyes' bid to qualify for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
In between, some health issues have popped up as well. During the fourth quarter of Ohio State's 49-26 victory over Indiana, Meyer was brought to his knees as the result of apparent headaches he has dealt with.
As Ohio State entered its bye week, perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that rumors regarding Meyer's future began to swirl. Yet despite message board innuendo and speculation from TV analysts that the 54-year-old Meyer would retire at season's end, the 3-time national champion head coach insisted on Monday that he'll be back on the Buckeyes' sideline in 2019.
"I plan on coaching," Meyer said at his weekly press luncheon on Monday.
Then asked if he could definitively say he'll be coaching Ohio State next season, Meyer offered a simple, "Yes."
Further speculation regarding Meyer's future could be dependent on how the rest of the Buckeyes' season plays out from here. Despite its devastating loss to the unranked Boilermakers, Ohio State remains alive in the race for the Big Ten East title, which could help pave the way to a potential playoff appearance.
Another loss -- or losses -- however, could very well lead to more rumors regarding whether or not Meyer will return to Columbus for an eighth season. In September, Ari Wasserman of The Athletic reported Ohio State brass has discussed the idea of making offensive coordinator Ryan Day the team's coach-in-waiting.
Ranked No. 8 in the AP Top 25, the Buckeyes will return to action on Saturday when they host Purdue at 12 p.m. ET.
