Urban Meyer reveals plans moving forward following Jacksonville stint
Urban Meyer unceremoniously finished one of the most disastrous coaching tenures in NFL history earlier this week. After a 2-11 start and multiple controversies, Meyer was relieved of his duties as the coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Moreover, there are multiple answers to where it all went wrong for Meyer in Jacksonville. Still, many are wondering what’s next for the former college football great — a return to the sport where he made his name or taking some time off from coaching.
In an exclusive interview with NFL.com, Meyer discussed his plans moving forward with Ian Rapoport.
Asked what he’ll do next, Meyer said, “To be determined.” He has not heard from anyone in the coaching world about a possible job, wrote Rapoport.
Unsurprisingly, Meyer has no potential prospects lined up. It’s a forgone conclusion that the former Jaguars coach doesn’t have a future in the NFL, but we’ve seen plenty of colleges take chances on coaches who have done far less than Meyer.
Time will tell where the next stop the Urban Meyer train rolls into is. However, the three-time national championship-winning head coach has a lot of reputation repairing to do in the meantime.
Meyer: ‘I’m just heartbroken.’
Urban Meyer took a risk by coming out of retirement to coach the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even though it didn’t work out, Meyer has nothing but love for the city and the franchise.
To begin his interview with Rapoport, Meyer issued a public apology to the city, the team and their fans.
“I just apologize to Jacksonville,” Meyer stated, per Rapoport. “I love Jacksonville. It’s one of the reasons I took the job. I still think Shad’s a great owner. It’s heart-breaking. I just had a dream of it becoming a destination place with a new facility he agreed to build and some day to walk into that stadium where it’s standing room only. Because I know how bad the people of Jacksonville want it.
“So, I’m just heartbroken that we weren’t able to do that. I still believe it’s going to be done. It’s too good of a place.”
To finish out the remainder of the season, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will be the interim head coach of the Jaguars. After the season, it’s paramount Jacksonville finds a coach who can bring out the best in rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
At almost every stop in his coaching career, Urban Meyer found success. However, his detractors were right about one thing — he couldn’t cut it in the NFL.