Report: Urban Meyer takes himself out of the running as new Longhorns coach

Coaching legend Urban Meyer will not be returning to coaching due to heath issues, reports say.

Horns247 first broke the news that Meyer told the University of Texas he was not planning on pursuing the job on Sunday night. The sports site reports the university had been pursuing Meyer since October to take over for Head Coach Tom Herman.

Meyer, who left coaching in 2010 due to health concerns, has been a top pick for Longhorns fans for some time now. Fans pushed for a change in coaching staff after this season saw another series of losses to unranked opponents that ultimately cost the Longhorns a chance at the Big XII championship for the ninth time in ten years this season.

Longhorns were hopeful they might get their dream pick for a new Longhorns head coach after Austonia confirmed Meyer's wife, Shelley, was eyeing Austin real estate.

And while Meyer is currently retired from coaching and now a Fox Sports analyst, he has been known to change his mind. He has returned to coaching after retiring two other times in the past for health reasons.

The three-time national championship coach has dealt with various health issues in the past. In 2009 while coach of the Florida Gators, he was admitted into a Florida hospital after experiencing chest pains and dehydration.

It's not unlikely Meyer could take the Longhorns position, even after telling Horns247 he would not take the job. In 2012, Meyer publicly denied taking a head coach position at Ohio State, but was confirmed as the coach later that month.

It was at Ohio State that Herman was selected by Meyer to be the team's offensive coordinator. Five years after that, Herman took the head coach position at UT, where fans were excited to get the next young and hungry coach. Now, fans are just hungry for some consistency and success.

Herman is to be evaluated by the UT athletic director at the end of the season. He is under contract for three more seasons. If the university decides to cut bait and move on, Texas will have to buyout his contract and start the search for their next head coach.