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Mike Vrabel at Ohio State? ESPN analyst delivers cryptic comments on coach’s 2025 outlook
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Mike Vrabel is a former head coach in the NFL who is still in search of a new head coaching job entering 2025. But to hear ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky speak on the matter, it sounds like Vrabel has his eyes potentially set on his alma mater.
During a Tuesday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, the co-hosts were batting around some potential vacancies in the NFL and which coaches might be a fit. McAfee referenced Vrabel, currently a consultant for the Cleveland Browns, as a coach who “is out there.”
Orlovsky was quick to cut that off:
“I think Vrabel’s spoken for,” claimed Orlovsky. When pressed about what he meant by that, Orlovsky delivered a cryptic response on a clear path to his next job.
“I just think that Vrabel probably has a very clear site and path with where he is going to be likely coaching (next season). He’ll be coaching football,” Orlovskey predicted.
The hosts of the show were quick to inquire if Orlovsky meant pro or college while specifically referencing Ohio State where Ryan Day is still employed entering the College Football Playoff. Orlovsky would not divulge specifics, admitting he’s not “a reporter” in this process.
However, Orlovsky’s comments are particularly intriguing given Vrabel’s availability and Day’s recent track record against Michigan.
“I think there is a vision for where he likely ends up coaching next year. I’m not a reporter,” concluded Orlovsky.
Vrabel was a consensus All-American for Ohio State in the mid-1990s, playing under head coach John Cooper. He went on to help win 3 Super Bowl titles for the New England Patriots in a sustained NFL career before returning to Ohio State to begin his coaching career.
Vrabel served on the Buckeye coaching staffs of Luke Fickell and Urban Meyer before jumping to the Houston Texans as a linebackers coach. He eventually ascended to the head coaching job where he would go 54-45 across 6 seasons, including a trip to the AFC Championship Game for the 2019 season.
Of course, any return to lead Ohio State would require an official decision to move on from Day, and that has appeared unlikely. Ohio State AD Ross Bjork has spoken positively of Day’s status, regardless of what happens in the Playoff.
We’ll see if anything happens to change Bjork’s mind and whether or not there is legitimate traction for Vrabel’s return to Columbus.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
