Utah Football Becoming A Pipeline To NFL Coaching Ranks
When Urban Meyer was hired as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 15, a lot of speculation quickly turned to what his staff would look like.
There were rumors that Meyer, who has always spoken highly of the staff at Utah, was going to take multiple members of Utah's staff — particularly defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley.
Alas that wasn't to the best case because Scalley has elected to stay at Utah as the defensive coordinator, where he one day hopes to serve as head coach of the Utes once current coach Kyle Whittingham retires.
Despite Scalley electing to stay, it hasn't taken away from the fact that the month of January was a good one for former Utah coaches and players look to ascend the coaching ranks.
Three former coaches/players associated with the Utes will now be working in the NFL this upcoming season; Urban Meyer, Brian Johnson and Quinton Ganther.
Here's a breakdown of each coach and what the future lies ahead of them...
URBAN MEYER
Utah: Head Coach from 2003-2004
Current: Head Coach of Jacksonville Jaguars
After a brief retirement where he left as head coach of Ohio State in Jan. 2019 under a cloud of controversy, Meyer has spent the last two years as a college football analyst with FOX Sports.
But every time a major college coaching gig became available (or was about too, USC), the first name mentioned and call that went out was always too Meyer. And he always politely declined because little did everyone know, he had thoughts of returning to a much bigger stage in mind.
“I’m ready to coach the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Meyer said of his new position. “Jacksonville has an enthusiastic fan base, and the fans deserve a winning team. With upcoming opportunities in the NFL Draft, and strong support from ownership, the Jaguars are well-positioned to become competitive. I’ve analyzed this decision from every angle. The time is right in Jacksonville, and the time is right for me to return to coaching. I’m excited about the future of this organization and our long term prospect for success.”
Meyer, who has never coached in the NFL, is one of the most successful college football coaches of all-time.
He has four stints as head coach, leading Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State throughout his tenure where he went 187-32. He's won three national championships, two with Florida and one with Ohio State, where he last served as head coach going 83-9 in seven seasons.
Everywhere Meyer has been, success has followed. He only spent two years leading the Utes, going 22-2 during that time, but he put them on the national scale when they became the first Group of 5 squad to win a BCS bowl game when they took down No. 19 Pittsburgh 35-7 in the Fiesta Bowl.
He then spurned Notre Dame to head to Florida, where he won two national championships. He retired in 2010, citing "family and health" reasons. But that was short lived as he agreed to come out of retirement and lead Ohio State beginning the 2012 season, where he won a national championship in 2014.
Brian Johnson
BRIAN JOHNSON
Utah: Quarterback from 2005-08
Current: Quarterbacks Coach of Philadelphia Eagles
The former Utah quarterback is leaving his job as offensive coordinator at Florida for a chance to coach in the NFL where he will be the new quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles.
It's definitely a bold move as Johnson will now be tasked with resurrecting the career of Eagles embattled quarterback Carson Wentz, once considered one of the young and bright stars of the league but now looked upon as a potential bust.
The Eagles went 4-11-1 last season, but it was marred following the play of Wentz, who threw for 2,620 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also threw 15 interceptions and completed just 57.4% of his passes in 12 games.
Rookie Jalen Hurts then took over as starting quarterback, throwing for 1,061 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. But he proved deadly with his legs, averaging 60.2 rushing yards per game with three touchdowns in those five games.
Dec 27, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks Carson Wentz (11) and Jalen Hurts (2) talk with head coach Doug Pederson (C) during a timeout against the Dallas Cowboys in the second quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Johnson is the right man for the job as he was the quarterbacks coach at Mississippi State, where he coached Dak Prescott and helped the fourth-round pick blossom into a true star in the league. He then coached Florida quarterback Kyle Trask the past two seasons, turning him into a bonafide NFL prospect and Heisman finalist after Trask threw for 4,283 yards and 43 touchdowns this past season.
Johnson began his coaching career in 2010 as the quarterbacks coach for Utah under Kyle Whittingham. It was short-lived as he was quickly promoted to offensive coordinator in 2012 at the young age of 24.
He then made a change and went with Dan Mullen to Mississippi State for three years before leaving to take over as offensive coordinator at Houston. He then returned to Mullen, this time at Florida, to be quarterbacks coach in 2018 before taking over in his new role as offensive coordinator this past season.
Quinton Ganther — Courtesy of Weber State Athletics
QUINTON GANTHER
Utah: Running Back from 2004-05
Current: Offensive Assistant with Jacksonville Jaguars
Although he spent just one season under Meyer, Ganther jumped at the opportunity to make his mark in the NFL when Meyer offered him a position as offensive assistant with the Jaguars.
Ganther worked with Utah as a student assistant during the 2012 season with then running backs coach Jay Hill. But when Hill moved on to Weber State, Ganther followed him and became the running backs coach for the Wildcats.
“I want to thank Weber State for giving me a chance when no one else would’ve given me a chance,” Ganther told KSL Sports. “Also, I want to thank all of the kids and the parents for trusting me with their children. Knowing that when their kids left them they would become better people and young men. I appreciate the parents for the relationships that will last a lifetime with both the parents and the kids. I also want to thank Jay Hill for being such an amazing boss and influential person on me, while allowing me to still be me. I want to thank Urban Meyer for still believing in that 19-year old kid that he met on the tennis courts at Citrus Junior College. My whole life people counted me out. He (Meyer) is giving me a platform to continue to touch lives in different ways. I can’t wait to get to work with the Jaguars.”
His career at Weber State was impressive as he produced four all-Big Sky running backs, two of which received all-American honors during his eight-year tenure with the Wildcats. Four of the six running backs who started under Ganther are all in Weber State's top-10 for career rushing yards.
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