Posted by: Chris Vannini on February 7, 2013

Urban Meyer knows his home state is a fertile recruiting ground.

The Buckeyes got 10 signees from Ohio in a recruiting class that is considered one of the best in the nation.

But what separates Ohio recruits from other states is the coaching, Meyer told The Dan Patrick Show.

"Our rival has always gone into this state. They have a couple Heisman Trophy winners from this state," Meyer said. "Ohio high school football is as well-coached (as any). The numbers aren't quite as large as it was many years ago, just because of the population shift, but there are great players here.

"The thing that makes it so appealing to everybody to get a kid from Ohio is that he's as well-coached as a kid there is. He's usually from a disciplined program, a tough program and that's why I've always been such a big fan of Ohio high school football."

Notice Meyer referred to Michigan as "our rival" at the beginning of that sentence? It's something he did several times throughout the interview, similar to how Brady Hoke has Michigan folks referring to the Buckeyes as "Ohio."

So Dan Patrick had to ask why Meyer doesn't say it.

"It's just something I learned from Coach Hayes many, many years ago when I was first here in 1986," Meyer said. "I think it's just part of the rivalry. ... I have a great time with it."

Has Meyer ever been caught saying "Michigan?"

"Oh yeah, and you've got to do push-ups whenever I here that. You pop right down and do 10 push-ups."

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Chris Vannini is the lead writer for CoachingSearch.com and has covered Michigan State sports for The State News, The Oakland Press and MLive.com. He writes a weekly column for the Detroit Free Press on behalf of SB Nation. Vannini lives in Big Ten country, so his foot speed is far from SEC caliber, but his pulse on coaches is hard to match. Be sure to follow @CoachingBuzz on twitter and send your feedback to chris@coachingsearch.com