As soon as it was announced that Brian Kelly would leave Notre Dame to be the next head coach of the LSU Tigers, there was one name that so many college football fans immediately thought of.
The man who mastered college football at Utah, Florida, and Ohio State is now the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. But to say things have not gone smoothly for Urban would be an understatement. He came into the season with a lot of hype, blew it all with a viral video scandal that forced his boss to sternly rebuke him, and has suffered through a miserable season in which his team has lost way more than it’s won.
All the while, people have wondered about whether or not he’d love to be back in college football where he could easily get back to the winning ways that made his reputation. Not to mention, Notre Dame was on the list of “dream jobs” that has come up for Meyer over the years. It’s kinda now or never.
According to ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, that answer appears to be never.
Filed to ESPN: Per a league source, Jaguars coach Urban Meyer has no interest in taking another college coaching job and remains committed to rebuilding the franchise.
— Michael DiRocco (@ESPNdirocco) November 30, 2021
Of course, the last thing anyone is going to do is take Urban Meyer at his word. He already has a reputation for saying one thing and then doing another, which is saying something considering how many of his contemporaries do that regularly, including Lincoln Riley earlier this week.
And if you look around at the reactions to the report, it doesn’t appear that many people in the college football world believe it.
— Cameron Salerno (@cameronsalerno1) November 30, 2021
Never thought I’d see the word committed and Urban Meyer in the same sentence. https://t.co/Qzgun2ljGg
— jordan mendoza (@jordan_mendoza5) November 30, 2021
“Please, make me an offer.” https://t.co/rXS8V3DIfC
— Neil Dutton (@ndutton13) November 30, 2021
It's a grind to rebuild an NFL team. I bet he's up for it. https://t.co/r3PEcIFZyt
— Joey Wagner (@mrwagner25) November 30, 2021
Riiiiiiiiight 😉 https://t.co/4bTOnEmCE4
— Tim O’Brien (@timobrientv) November 30, 2021
It’s very possible that Meyer really does want to get away from the 24/7 grind of the college football world and try to make a run in the NFL. But football fans have been burned so many times before by coaches saying one thing and doing another. We’ll believe that Meyer is truly committed to the Jaguars when he’s still there come next September. And even then…
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.