You already knew this was coming. It was simply a matter of when it began in earnest, not if.
Roughly a nanosecond after Urban Meyer announced yet another retirement from coaching in early December, whispers started that USC could be a potential destination when what some consider an inevitable return to the sidelines comes to fruition for the 54-year-old future College Football Hall of Famer. Meyer himself added to the general speculation when, asked at his retirement press conference if he was finished with coaching, replied, “that’s a complicated question"; nearly a month later, he seemingly left the door open ever so slightly yet again when he stated he doesn’t believe he’ll ever coach again.
Moving forward, it appears at least one Trojans legend is going to do everything in his power to help Meyer kick the unretirement door wide open.
It was announced in mid-March that Meyer, along with former USC stars Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, would be part of a college football pregame show on FOX that will be looking to compete with the ESPN College GameDay juggernaut. Given the access he’ll have to Meyer, Bush was not shy in declaring that he’ll openly recruit Meyer to come to USC to replace Clay Helton if the current head coach continues to falter.
From the Los Angeles Times:Bush... said he and Leinart would recruit Meyer to come out of retirement and take the USC job if Clay Helton struggles again this season.
“We’ll definitely be recruiting him,” Bush said. “What makes you think we won’t be recruiters? Nothing is off the table.
...
"[The Trojans] have to win the division,” Bush said. “This is a put-up-or-shut-up season for them, especially for Clay Helton. I’m looking to see drastic improvements. People have to be held accountable and players have to be held accountable. They have to create an environment there where players really understand the tradition of winning that came before them.
After back-to-back 10-win seasons in his first two full years on the job, Helton stumbled to an embarrassing 5-7 mark in 2018.
Meyer won at least 11 games in six of his seven seasons at Ohio State (he was credited with 10 wins in a 2018 season that saw him suspended for the first three games). The Buckeyes claimed seven Big Ten East titles, two conference championships and a national championship during Meyer’s time at OSU. All told, Meyer has won three national titles as a head coach.
In a message to the Times following Bush’s comments, Meyer stated again he “believe[s] I’m done but I’ve also learned to just live in the moment.”