Urban Meyer finalizing deal to become next Jacksonville Jaguars head coach
- by Grant Boone
- in Sports
- — Jan 16, 2021
It's official: Urban Meyer is the Jaguars' new head coach.
Over the weekend, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer met with Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan regarding the team's head coaching vacancy. In it, Kahn called Meyer "a leader, victor and champion who demands excellence and produces results".
Meyer, one of the most successful coaches in college football history, on Wednesday was named the Jaguars' head coach.
He is 187-32 over 17 seasons at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and OSU. He owns a 12-3 record in bowl games, including a flawless 3-0 mark in national championship games. Bringing a coach from college over to the National Football League is seldom a sure thing, but the Jaguars seem confident that Meyer can turn them right back into contenders. Meyer has never coached in the NFL. Meyer and Khan have been friends for years, building a relationship while both were living in Big Ten country. "I'm excited about the future of this organization and our long term prospect for success". The Jaguars have the top pick of the draft, which means Meyer will be able to choose his own quarterback - likely Trevor Lawrence - right out of the gate.
Meyer replaces Doug Marrone who was sacked after going 1-15 this season and 23-43 overall. If they pass on Lawrence it will be Justin Fields, and Meyer could lean that way given his familiarity with the Ohio State program. Yahoo sports reported the Jaguars also have about $100 million in cap space for potential acquisitions. Now, he will be tasked with revamping a club that went 1-15 last season. He also resigned at Florida for health reasons in December 2009 only to change his mind the following day and instead take a leave of absence. Once he returned to the sideline, he led Ohio State to a national title within three years.
