Urban Meyer Reportedly Didn’t Know Who Aaron Donald Was

A scathing piece regarding Urban Meyer’s “toxic” tenure as coach of the Jaguars was released by Jayson Jenks and Mike Sando of The Athletic on Monday. 

Jenks and Sando reported various incidences that demonstrated that Meyer was in over his head as an NFL coach. 

One specific story, regarding Rams All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, was particularly insightful.

“Meyer said he conducted a six-month deep dive on the NFL that included interviews with his former Florida and Ohio State players, as well as a study of the salary cap. But multiple sources said Meyer was unfamiliar with star players around the league, including 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel, Seahawks safety Jamal Adams, and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year.

“‘Who’s this 99 guy on the Rams?’ Meyer asked one staffer during the season, according to a source. ‘I’m heading he might be a problem for us,’” Jenks and Sando wrote. 

Considering Donald’s stature in the NFL as the premier player at his position and one of the best overall players in the league, Meyer’s questioning of who he was is startling. 

Meyer was fired as the Jaguars coach in December after a 2–11 start to the season. A rebuild in Jacksonville was expected, and based on Monday’s reporting, it wasn’t the record alone in Year 1 that got Meyer fired.

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