Playing for Urban? Jaguars Hire Meyer to Likely Pair with Lawrence
What started as a rumor has turned into reality.
The Jacksonville Jaguars officially announced the hiring of college football coaching great Urban Meyer as the next head coach of the franchise.
This will be Meyer's first attempt in the NFL after compiling a 187-32 record in 17 seasons at the college level. He won two national titles at Florida and one at Ohio State.
Now, he'll very likely be working with one of the most revered quarterback prospects in recent NFL drafts. Jacksonville, which was awarded the No. 1 overall pick in 2021 after going 1-15 in 2020, is expected to select Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence in the first round. Pairing him with Meyer gives all three sides a chance for success.
Meyer, 56, leaves college football with the seventh-best winning percentage in the history of the game and has never had a losing season as a head coach. That doesn't mean he's a guarantee to be great in the pros, but the Jaguars are more than $70 million under the salary cap.
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With a few already young, promising players and the ability to add to the roster through free agency and the draft, Meyer and Lawrence give the franchise a fighting chance to return to the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Meyer has worked with Alex Smith, Tim Tebow and Dwayne Haskins, all first-round picks, at the college level. None have the talent and upside of Lawrence, who went 35-2 as a starting quarterback at Clemson. He's been compared to John Elway, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck by NFL draft analysts and executives.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. said last week that if Jacksonville did bring in Meyer, he wouldn't select Buckeyes QB Justin Fields over Lawrence, so it appears two of the most successful college football stars at their respective positions will link up and have a chance to do something great with the Jaguars.
