Former Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer returns to Fox as college football analyst

Just seven months following his firing, former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach, Urban Meyer is set to return to college football as an analyst for FOX's Big Noon Kickoff show, the network announced on Friday.

The show will return with its original cast, featuring Meyer, Rob Stone, Brady Quinn, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. Quinn, Bush and Leinart, all former NFL players. Meyer previously worked on the show following his retirement from coaching in 2019 prior to unretiring to coach in the NFL with Jacksonville in 2021.

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Meyer's return as an analyst does not come as a surprise after it was reported in April that he was "deep in negotiations" to return to the network.

Urban Meyer went 2-11 as Jacksonville Jaguars coach until his dismissal

Meyer's return to the college football world comes after a horrid first season in the NFL as a head coach. Meyer's Jaguars would win just two games prior to his dismissal, a 2-11 record.

His tenure would be marred with plenty of controversy and distraction, leading to players voicing their concerns during and after the season.

Meyer also came under fire after former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo alleged that the head coach created a hostile working environment, including accusing Meyer of kicking him in the leg while he was stretching during warm-ups prior to practice. Lambo is currently suing the Jaguars for emotional distress due to the events.

"After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban's tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone," Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement upon firing Meyer.

"Regaining our trust and respect was essential. Regrettably, it did not happen."

For his college coaching career, Meyer was 187-32 as a head coach. He went 17-6 at Bowling Green, 22-2 at Utah, 65-15 at Florida and 83-9 at Ohio State. His teams won three national championships, seven conference championships and 10 division championships.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Ex-Jaguars coach Urban Meyer back with FOX as college football analyst