The Jacksonville Jaguars have just hired Urban Meyer as their new head coach. This will be the first and perhaps the biggest HC hire of the offseason. Meyer, who has had no previous NFL coaching experience, has achieved dominance with multiple programs at the college level. Some of the most notable CFB programs Meyer coached for include: Utah, Florida, and Ohio State. At the college level, Meyer won three national championships. Two of these came with the Florida Gators, while one championship came with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Meyer temporarily retired from coaching after the 2018 CFB season, where he finished his Ohio State coaching career with a Rose Bowl win. Meyer announced that he was retiring due to health reasons, although some people believe that he was tired of coaching. Nevertheless, Meyer is back and is ready to take the Jaguars to the next level.
How Will the Jaguars Change Under Urban Meyer?
Even with no NFL coaching experience, Meyer should definitely be a step up from former Jaguars HC Doug Marrone. Meyer has established himself as one of CFB’s all time greats. Even with that being said, there will be some challenges for Meyer as the Jaguars head coach. Although it is challenging to transform a college program, it is much more challenging to transform an NFL team. The Jaguars have many positions to fill before they will actually be able to contend in the NFL. Obviously the quarterback position is the most notable need for Jacksonville. While Meyer showed praise for Justin Fields, he made it clear that Trevor Lawrence is his number one choice. Meyer even stated before that Trevor Lawrence was the CFB quarterback ever in college football. This comes as reassurance to most Jaguars fans, as Lawrence is considered to be the best draft prospect by far.
Although taking Trevor Lawrence will not immediately fix the Jaguars, it will be a huge step in the right direction for the team. Urban Meyer has a knack for talent, and he can very well turn this team into a contender in a few years. With his own new selected coaching staff, Meyer will have all the help he needs on the sidelines.
Nick Saban, who is perhaps the greatest coach in college football history, has a long history with Urban Meyer. At the college level, Saban and Meyer split their head-to-head games at 2-2. However, one thing Nick Saban was never able to accomplish was success in the NFL as a coach. Meyer now will have his go at it, with a chance to gain the upper hand on Saban. As for now, Meyer is finally back in sunny North Florida, coaching where he belongs.