Urban Meyer discusses coaching vacancies, returning to college football

Urban Meyer spent all of his coaching career — until this year — in college football. Would he return to a college campus?

According to ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, he is staying put with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“Per a league source, Jaguars coach Urban Meyer has no interest in taking another college coaching job and remains committed to rebuilding the franchise,” ESPN’s Jaguars reporter tweeted on Tuesday.

While this is not the first time this season Meyer has been linked to a head coaching vacancy, the new Notre Dame opening has an interesting twist that USC, where he was heavily rumored to potentially go earlier this fall, does not. Meyer was the Irish wide receivers coach from 1996-2000. Additionally, the Jaguars front man previously said Notre Dame was his “dream job,” and he was in the conversation in 2005 when the Irish vacancy was open. He ultimately went to Florida, while Notre Dame hired Charlie Weis.

Meyer, 57, is currently in his first year in Jacksonville. Behind rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars are 2-9 this season with the second-worst scoring offense in the nation.

Finebaum: Meyer has ‘burned that bridge’

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum joined “Get Up” on Tuesday morning to address the speculation surrounding the first-year NFL head coach.

“No,” Finebaum answered when asked if there was any way that Urban Meyer is the choice at Notre Dame. “He could have had the job when Brian Kelly got it. He turned it down to go to Florida, where he won two national championships.”

In addition to the national championships at Florida, Meyer won a national title at Ohio State in 2014. He previously retired from Ohio State in 2018, citing health concerns. The former college head coach continued to work for the Ohio State athletic department and then for Fox Sports as an analyst before taking the job with the Jaguars. 

“I think he’s burned that bridge and quite frankly, I think it would be an atrocious choice,” Finebaum added. “He has burned out everywhere he has ever been. He has not shown us anything at Jacksonville and I think Jack Swarbrick, the Notre Dame athletic director, is far too smart than to make a mistake like hiring Urban Meyer.”

In addition to the dismal record on the field this season in Jacksonville, Meyer has been caught up in controversy surrounding a trip to a bar where he was video tapped with a women who is not his wife, Shelley.