(Jacksonville) Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars made a deal to become their new head coach on Thursday.
Meyer is leaving the commentary studio to return to the sidelines after a two-year absence, due to a major health issue.
The 56-year-old was the favorite on Jaguar owner Shad Khan’s roster, and the latter waited for a week to get to this point. They met last Friday on Khan’s yacht in Miami and again on Wednesday.
Hiring a head coach who won three US college championships could revive a franchise that has lost 105 of its 144 games since Khan took possession of the club in 2012.
Meyer exhibited an 187-32 record – an impressive 85.3% success rate – during his stints in Bowling Green (2001-02), Utah (2003-04), Florida (2005-10) and at Ohio State (2012-18).
He ranks seventh in the history of college football in terms of success rate, second only to legendary Notre Dame University coaches Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy, among those who have led major programs.
Meyer replaces Doug Marrone, fired after the club lost the last 15 games of the 2020 season. Marrone was 25-44 in four seasons at the helm of the Jaguars, and he posted a 2-1 record in playoffs in 2017.
Khan also met with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and Tennessee Titans Arthur Smith, as well as Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and 49ers from San Francisco Robert Saleh for the post.
