Urban Meyer "deep in negotiations" for return college football TV job, per reports

Urban Meyer won't be returning to the NFL for a while, if ever, after a tumultuous year with the Jaguars, but he could get back into the world of college football.

Fox Sports and Meyer are "deep in negotiations" for the coach to rejoin the network as an analyst, according to a report from The Athletic.

Meyer previously worked as a studio analyst at the network for its "Big Noon Kickoff" for college football in the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Athletic reports that Meyer is liked by Fox executives and that the network will not judge the coach by his time with the Jaguars.

Meyer emerged as one of the most accomplished recruiters and head coaches in college football in the 21st century following stints at Utah, Florida, and Ohio State.

Meyer won two BCS national championships at Florida and the first-ever College Football Playoff national title with the Buckeyes in 2014.

He went 65-15 in six seasons with the Gators, including a 36-12 SEC mark, and finished 83-9 at Ohio State in seven years, with a 54-4 Big Ten record and five straight AP Top 10 finishes.

But recent memory paints Meyer in a far-less flattering light after his short-lived attempt at coaching in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"The worst experience" of my life

Originally tabbed as a high-profile coaching hire and paired with former No. 1 overall draft pick quarterback Trevor Lawrence, his time in the league quickly devolved into a string of losing games and a series of personal and professional embarrassments.

He began his tenure with the Jags by hiring assistant coach Chris Doyle, who was placed on leave by Iowa the previous year for using offensive language at players. Doyle resigned one day after taking the position.

Meyer's stay in the NFL only got worse from there.

After a Thursday night loss to the Bengals early in the season, Meyer didn't travel home with his team, instead electing to stay behind at a restaurant he owns in Ohio. Later, a video emerged of him inappropriately touching a young woman at the bar. Meyer apologized for being a "distraction".

Jacksonville won its first game under Meyer on Oct. 17 in London, and didn't win a game in the US until Nov. 7.

From there came many public reports of increasing tensions in the Jaguars' locker room stemming from a variety of issues: the usage of running back James Robinson, players laughing at Meyer after the bar incident, several off-field episodes between Meyer and his assistants, and one report that Meyer threatened to fire anyone who leaked information about the team to the media.

It all came to an end on Dec. 16, a day after Jags kicker Josh Lambo said that Meyer kicked him at a practice during the preseason. Meyer denied the accusation.

Reports then emerged that Meyer made a Jaguars player cry during a meeting and that he didn't know who Aaron Donald and Deebo Samuel were.

"The worst experience I've had in my professional lifetime," Meyer said of his tenure in the NFL.

(h/t The Athletic)

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