New NCAA rule will dramatically impact Ohio State’s special teams philosophy

Since Urban Meyer returned to coaching college football in 2012 following his one-season hiatus, his standard operating procedure in Columbus has been to get the best players at every position, coach those players up, and use their natural abilities— combined with top-level coaching acumen— to take advantage of glaring talent differentials that the Buckeyes have over almost-always inferior opponents.

This has been especially true on special teams for Meyer’s Ohio State squads, as he has taken a hands-on approach to coaching the third unit; often stacking the coverage teams with starters and future superstars. While having players split practice time between their primary positions and…