The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Farrell drafted by Meyer, Jaguars
Perry product reunited with coach who recruited him to play at Ohio State
The first time Luke Farrell talked to Coach Urban Meyer, Farrell — then a sophomore at Perry — was so timid and shy on the phone that Meyer actually had to ask Farrell if he knew who he was talking to.
The conversation the two had on May 1 was quite different.
It pretty much consisted of three words.
“Welcome to Jacksonville,” Meyer told Farrell.
With the first pick of the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft — Pick 145 overall — the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Farrell. In doing so, Farrell has been reunited with Meyer, the Jaguars’ first-year head coach who recruited Farrell and coached him at Ohio State.
“I looked at my phone and saw it was from Ryan Stamper, who was on the staff at Ohio State,” Farrell said of the Jaguars’ new director of player assessment. “I thought, ‘Is this it? Is this it?’”
At first, the phone call seemed like small-talk. Then Stamper handed the phone over to Meyer, who welcomed Farrell to his new NFL home.
“He asked me if I was ready, and I said ‘Let’s go,’ “Farrell said.
Farrell joins a decorated rookie class of offensive weapons in Jacksonville, a list that also includes top overall selection Trevor Lawrence at quarterback and second-round draft pick Travis Etienne at running back.
Both Lawrence and Etienne are from Clemson. This past season, Farrell and the Buckeyes beat Clemson, 49-28, in a College Football playoff semifinal.
“All the stuff about Trevor has been said a thousand times,” Farrell said. “He’s a generational talent.”
Of Etienne, Farrell said, “He gave us (Ohio State) trouble in the past. I love the way he plays.”
That Jacksonville was the team to select Farrell might not have been much of a surprise. Farrell said he had a few Zoom meetings with Jaguars tight end coach Tyler Bowen in weeks leading up to the draft, and he also had a chat with Meyer at Ohio State’s pro day in late March.
“He came up to me and was like, ‘Yeah, my GM really likes you for some reason. I don’t know why.’” Farrell said with a laugh. “It was great.”
Farrell was criticized by draft experts for his productivity — or perhaps lack thereof — at Ohio State. The 6-foot-5 1/2, 251-pounder had 34 career catches for 380 yards and four touchdowns.
Farrell said his skillset goes well beyond that.
“I definitely think I’m one of the best, if not the best, blocking tight end coming out of this class,” he said, citing versatility and toughness as primary traits. “I know Coach Meyer knows what I’m capable of and what my game is. Whatever they ask me to do, I’ll do it to the best of my ability.”
Farrell spent the draft weekend with his family in their home in Perry. Every time Farrell answered the phone this weekend, a hush came over the crowd.
“I heard the call (from Jacksonville) and just froze,” said mother Kelly Farrell. “There were other calls, but this one you could tell was different.”
Father Matt Farrell was on the back deck when the Jaguars called.
“As Urban’s known to do, he told Luke, ‘Put your mother on the phone,” the proud father said with a laugh. “When I got on the phone, he asked me, ‘How’s Jacksonville sound?’”
Farrell being drafted on May 1 comes on the heels of another Perry product — Brandon Staley — being hired in January as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
“I’m very proud of of Luke and very happy for him,” said former Perry coach Matt Rosati, who stepped down after this past season. “He’s going to do just fine, no doubt about it. Guys like, Luke Farrell play in the league for a long time.”
Farrell said he will be departing for Jacksonville in the coming weeks for minicamp. A decorated student athlete who is a four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-Big Ten selection, Farrell someday plans on enrolling in physical therapy school.
But right now, Urban Meyer and the NFL are calling.
Just how Farrell always dreamed.
“A lot of hard work went into this,” Farrell said. “A lot of patience and working my ass off. This is the payoff. I understand this is just the start and I have so much more to give, but I’m really, really excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to get started.”