Ohio State culture the secret, sets Buckeyes apart from rest of CFB

The Ohio State football team has enjoyed great success as a program, but recently its culture is what has set the Buckeyes apart from other programs in CFB.

In late 2011 heading into 2012, Urban Meyer took over a very average Ohio State football program. The Buckeyes were coming off a 6-7 season and Just weeks after his hiring, they were hit with sanctions and lost nine scholarships.

Players were also free to transfer without penalty. How would Ohio State be able to compete in coach Meyer’s first season with this situation?

Here is how they not only competed but excelled as well as how the Buckeyes’ unique culture developed. Most Buckeye fans will remember the things I will point out because they have been widely reported. I’ll just try to list them in the appropriate order.

After numerous meetings, discussions and deep thought, to coach Meyer’s surprise not one player transferred. He has said he believes the reasoning for that was the players’ love for each other and their university. Unbeknownst to him at the time it actually was the start of the Brotherhood of Trust.

As the 2012 season progressed, the Buckeyes were still an average football team, but got better and closer as the weeks went on. They ended up staying motivated despite no bowl game and went undefeated, 12-0.

Even after going 12-0, Ohio State went on to win 12 more games bringing their streak to 24 before losing the final two of the 2013 season. Following a self-evaluation and interviewing all the players, Meyer determined there was a trust and clarity of culture issue.

Enter Tim Kight, Founder and CEO of Focus3. Kight was brought on by Meyer following a conversation when they quickly bonded over similar beliefs.

In an effort to clarify the culture, Kight established Meyer’s three main core values for football: relentless effort, competitive excellence and power of the unit.

These three points were quickly ingrained in the assistant coaches, now called unit leaders. And they were instructed to teach and apply, with visuals and examples, these principles to their unit and build trust and cohesion.

Meyer and Kight then realized culture had to be a heart thing, not something just talked about or hung on walls. As this all was preached to the football players, the Buckeyes bought into it starting with the 2014 season.

The simple yet principled equation E + R = O (The R Factor) was also introduced. It represents the events of life that one cannot control combined with one’s response which gives one an outcome.

This life changing bit of math that was implemented in the summer of 2014 was a true turning point in both Meyer’s career and the state of the football program at Ohio State.

We all know the magical, improbable run that took place that year despite losing two QBs to injury, losing to Virginia Tech at home, and the death of a teammate. By the time the postseason rolled around, Ohio State was on its third string QB Cardale Jones.

Moreover, they were still the most prepared team in each of their last three games en route to a National Championship victory in the first ever College Football Playoff. That speaks to the culture and level of training the Buckeyes endured.

As the years moved on, this training only got stronger as the Brotherhood of Trust was formally introduced as was the Power of the Unit (Nine Strong). This newfound and now developed culture was no longer just a talking point or speech, but a way of life and thinking at Ohio State.

The family type atmosphere and love throughout the program became a huge recruiting strategy whether addressed or not. If you look back and evaluate Meyer’s tenure, any time adversity struck the team became stronger when most would fall apart.

His Buckeyes would often times do the unthinkable and defy the odds in the toughest of situations. Some might ask why?

The answer would seem to be complicated, but not so much when you think about it.

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Simply put, the answer is the culture Meyer and Kight have worked to build over the years. The complicated part is actually buying into it and accepting it as a lifestyle rather than something only addressed in the facilities.

Though Meyer is now retired, the principles and concepts are still practiced daily by Coach Ryan Day, his staff and the players. This culture change was not meant to be temporary, it was made to be a permanent alteration to the approach to football in Columbus, Ohio.

It was just that. And it is evident and Day has been able to recruit at an extremely high level so far with multiple recruits noting the family atmosphere and genuine care provided by the coaching staff and players alike.

Some may say the secret to Ohio State football is tradition or simply just brand by being a blue blood. But in reality, Ohio State football is deeply rooted in tradition, but driven by the loving, competitive culture and trust set before them by the coaches and players. It is what sets the Buckeyes apart from the rest of the college football programs, even the premier ones.