Will Trevor Lawrence be Playing for Urban Meyer?
Trevor Lawrence might be playing for Doug Marrone next season, but he also might not be playing for Doug Marrone next season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, who will presumably use their No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on the Clemson quarterback, haven't completely decided what to do with their current head coach. They wrap up the season Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
However, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, if the Jags (1-14) decide to move on from Marrone, and one of the lead candidates to take over next is none other than former Ohio State and Florida coach Urban Meyer.
Here's what Rapoport wrote Saturday:
The team has shown interest in former Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who has been lining up a staff and telling people he's close to in the football community that he expects to land in Jacksonville, per sources. The Jaguars won't make a firm and final decision on Marrone until after the season, but this is the expected outcome provided Jacksonville feels confident it can find Marrone's replacement.
Rapoport also reported that "plan B" for the Jags, should Meyer not take the job, is current Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, who just beat Clemson 49-28 and is coaching the Buckeyes in next week's national championship game against Alabama.
However, ESPN's Adam Schefter's report refutes that possibility.
Lawrence didn't officially announce his intent to leave college for the NFL after the Ohio State game Friday, but it's unlikely that he'll return to Clemson.
“I don't really want to get into all that tonight," Lawrence said postgame. "I’m just kind of taking the loss in, a lot of stuff going on in my head. So, don’t really wanna get into all that. I’m gonna take a little bit of time for myself and be with my fiancé and family and just enjoy that. We’ve been working for I don’t know how many months straight trying to get it done here. So I’m gonna go enjoy a little bit of time. I’m sure there will be some information coming out here soon. I just wanted to sit back for a minute and take everything in.”
Meyer left the college game after the 2018 season, so he didn't coach against Lawrence in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl or in Friday's Sugar Bowl, but he had Lawrence as his No. 1 QB in college football in the preseason.
If Meyer were to get the Jaguars job, is there a chance he could pass on Lawrence and go with Ohio State's Justin Fields, a player he's quite familiar with? Potentially, but it would be a franchise decision as to who Jacksonville would draft.
The New York Jets, meanwhile, are also looking to move on from their head coach, Adam Gase, and the replacement there is sitting in a good spot to draft whichever QB doesn't go first overall if the Jets want to move on from Sam Darnold.
