FOX officially announces Urban Meyer's return to Big Noon Kickoff

It’s official. Urban Meyer is returning to TV.

FOX officially announced its panel for Big Noon Kickoff this season, and Meyer is back on the desk alongside Rob Stone, Brady Quinn, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. The former Florida and Ohio State coach left the show last season to coach the Jacksonville Jaguars, who fired him after less than one full season at the helm.

Former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops filled Meyer’s seat, but he’s preparing to coach in the XFL. Now, Meyer is back.

The news isn’t a surprise. Meyer has made a few appearances on Big Ten Network over the offseason, notably when the league added USC and UCLA, when he shared his thoughts on the latest round of conference realignment. But he’s back on the pregame show to set the stage for Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft every week.

FOX also announced Big Noon Kickoff will travel every week for the first time in its history. Its first broadcast will be Sept. 1 when Penn State travels to Purdue for a special Thursday night broadcast. However, the group will make its first appearance of the year Saturday during Baseball Night in America on FOX, giving fans a sneak peek at what they’ll have to offer this season.

Urban Meyer’s return to FOX was a long time coming

Negotiations between Meyer and FOX were in the works for several months, according to reports. In April, The Athletic reported he was “deep in negotiations” to come back to TV, and Front Office Sports confirmed the move was in the works in May.

In fact, Meyer himself teased the jump back to broadcasting during an interview with Lettermen Row’s Tim May.

“It’s all still in conversation,” Meyer told May. “I love FOX, I love their team and their guys. There’s nothing that’s been finalized yet but I plan on going back and doing that. I really enjoyed that.

“I enjoyed celebrating those who play, celebrating those who coach – it’s a great game. Not being the kind of ripping people to shreds but just celebrating this incredible game and most importantly, the players that do this game. I plan on being back in the fall doing something like that.”