Urban Meyer Text Conversation Reveals Zach Smith Was Offered Alabama Assistant Job in 2017
By Michael Luciano
Just when you thought the book was officially closed on the Urban Meyer/Zach Smith story, leaked texts from the independent investigation show that Meyer actually kept the embattled wide receivers coach on his staff when he could have joined Nick Saban's corner and been his problem.
Smith was offered the wide receiver/passing game coordinator job at Alabama, but Meyer convinced him to stay.
I thought this was perhaps the most interesting thing from the Urban Meyer text messages. Zach Smith was offered a job at Alabama after the 2017 season. pic.twitter.com/rmSauIzuoV
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) August 2, 2019
While Smith did stay on, his alleged domestic violence-laden past prompted an investigation that ultimately dealt Meyer a three game suspension and a tarnished reputation.
Texts from Meyer show that assistant coaches including Smith, Greg Schiano, Alex Grinch, Kerry Coombs, and new head coach Ryan Day were all offered jobs in either the pros or with quality programs like Alabama, Florida State, and Mississippi State. While Coombs left to join Mike Vrabel's Tennessee Titans staff, the rest remained, though Schiano has since moved to the Patriots and Grinch is now at Oklahoma.
Ohio State has released 2,000 pages worth of emails and text messages related to last year's investigations of Urban Meyer and Zach Smith: https://t.co/zpM3x2P1GC
— Joey Kaufman (@joeyrkaufman) August 2, 2019
Not only did Meyer go out of his way in public to not besmirch Smith's name, but he actually held on to him when other teams were willing to take him off of his hands.