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'Obviously, it didn't go well.' Urban Meyer talks Jacksonville Jaguars stint on podcast

colin gay, the columbus dispatch
·3 min read

Urban Meyer thought he had coached his last football game

The former Ohio State coach said on the "All Things Covered" podcast with former NFL cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden that after handing the program to Ryan Day, he was retired, saying that age 55 was the "target" age for ending his coaching career.

But after a 13-game stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars along with several off-field issues, Meyer said he doesn't have any desire to coach again.

Davison Igbinosun commits to Ohio State:Cornerback Davison Igbinosun commits to Ohio State football as transfer from Mississippi

“No desire," Meyer said. "Of course I think (I) could do things differently.”

When the Jacksonville Jaguars came calling, Meyer called the team's pitch incredibly appealing.

"I got approached by a few teams, and this team really appealed to me," Meyer said, calling Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the team's first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft out of Clemson, a potential "Hall of Famer."

But with only two wins on his NFL resume, along with multiple off-field incidents, including an accusation by former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo, who said the head coach kicked him during a preseason game, Meyer admitted that his transition to the professional level did not go as planned.

"Obviously it didn’t go well," Meyer continued, "but I had no plans of doing that at all. It just happened."

Urban Meyer on Joe Burrow: 'Gosh, what a monster he is'

After watching Joe Burrow lead the Cincinnati Bengals to a second-straight AFC Championship game, Meyer had nothing but good things to say about the former Ohio State quarterback.

“Gosh, what a monster he is. He was really unrecruited," Meyer said of Burrow, who held offers schools like Iowa State, Kentucky and West Virginia out of Athens High School. "My quarterback coach Tom Herman went down to watch him, and I remember him taking his cell phone and video taping him from his cell phone. And he said, ‘I just found your next Alex Smith."

Meyer called Burrow a "great person" with a "great family," remembering Burrow as one "hell of a basketball player." But he remembered Burrow as an underdeveloped quarterback that had a long release with "OK" arm strength and athleticism.

However, Meyer said Burrow had "toughness and leadership" from the moment he first saw him.

“Now that body grew up, obviously," Meyer said of Burrow, who won the 2019 Heisman Trophy and a national championship with LSU.

Urban Meyer has high hopes for USC in 2023

When asked about his "way-too-early" pick for a team to win a national championship next season, Meyer did not mention Ohio State.

Nov 26, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer watches from the sideline during the first half of the NCAA football game between the Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
Nov 26, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer watches from the sideline during the first half of the NCAA football game between the Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

The team he watched lose in the PAC-12 Championship was the first team that came to mind.

“That USC team is something now," Meyer said.

Meyer was very complimentary of reigning Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, who spent one season on Ohio State's coaching staff.

"If they hit the transfer portal and get some players on defense," Meyer said, "I really think USC is going to be right there.”

Ohio State football schedule 2023

Here's what Ohio State's 2023 football schedule looks like.

  • Sept. 2: Ohio State vs. Indiana, Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana

  • Sept. 9: Ohio State vs. Youngstown State, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

  • Sept. 16: Ohio State vs. Western Kentucky, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

  • Sept. 23: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame, Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

  • Oct. 7: Ohio State vs. Maryland, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

  • Oct. 14: Ohio State vs. Purdue, Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

  • Oct. 21: Ohio State vs. Penn State, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

  • Oct. 28: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin, Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

  • Nov. 4: Ohio State vs. Rutgers, SHI Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey

  • Nov. 11: Ohio State vs. Michigan State, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

  • Nov. 18: Ohio State vs. Minnesota, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

  • Nov. 25: Ohio State vs. Michigan, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Urban Meyer talks Jacksonville Jaguars stint on podcast