Meyer named Jags coach
Jaguars lure new head coach Urban Meyer out of retirement.
Urban Meyer has won everywhere he’s coached. Small colleges. Big-time programs. He’s been a difference maker at each stop during his storied career.
He’s ready to try something new: the NFL.
Meyer agreed to become head coach of the Jaguars on Thursday, leaving the broadcast booth and returning to the sidelines after a two-year absence that followed another health scare.
The 56-year-old Meyer was team owner Shad Khan’s top target for weeks, maybe even months, and the deal was finalized after their third and final meeting in seven days.
Hiring the longtime college coach with three national championships signifies a new direction for a franchise that has lost 105 of 144 games since Khan took over in 2012.
“This is a great day for Jacksonville and Jaguars fans everywhere,” Khan said in a statement. “Urban Meyer is who we want and need, a leader, winner and champion who demands excellence and produces results.”
Meyer went 187-32 — a staggering winning percentage of 85.3 — in stops at Bowling Green (2001-02), Utah (2003-04), Florida (200510) and Ohio State (2012-18). He ranks seventh all time in collegiate winning percentage, trailing only Notre Dame legends Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy among coaches at major programs.
The Jaguars were the most attractive opening. They have 11 picks in the 2021 draft, including five in the top 65, and are nearly $100 million under the projected salary cap.
Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence is a lock to land in Jacksonville with the top pick.
Meyer’s health remains a concern. He stepped down at Ohio State in 2018 mostly because of a congenital arachnoid cyst in his brain, which required surgery in 2014 and bothered him throughout his final season with the Buckeyes.
“They understand what’s at stake here. Everybody’s raised their hands and said, ‘Look, we’re in. We know what we’re shooting for.’ ”
— Nets GM Sean Marks describing the reactions of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving after Wednesday’s blockbuster trade for James Harden