Urban Meyer on potential Florida return: ‘That ship has sailed’

Urban Meyer denied any interest in returning to Florida in the event the Gators fire Billy Napier. It’s been suggested by ESPN talking heads, serious or not.

But on the surface, it could make sense for Meyer to go back to Florida, where he won two national titles. Still, he hasn’t coached since 2021, a failed stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and has been out of the college game since his last year with Ohio State (2018).

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While Meyer is rooting for Florida, he won’t be roaming the sidelines in Gainesville.

“That ship has sailed,” Meyer said on The Triple Option. “I want that program to do well, so bad. I know so many people there and we gave a big part of our life to that program. But that ship has sailed.”

Meyer went 2-11 in Jacksonville in 2021 before he was fired prior to the end of the year. But that doesn’t take away from his 187-32 record in college and three national titles.

Urban Meyer won’t go back to Florida

The differences between the Meyer era and the Napier era are vast, at least based on the on-the-field success these days.

“Well, I mean, we know there were a lot of bad feelings,” ESPN”s Paul Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “I don’t think those feelings are still there. It’s been a long time. And one thing you can’t deny about Urban Meyer is he came within a paper clip of winning three national championships in four years there, and that’s all that matters.

“I was with Steve Spurrier on Friday afternoon, and he was trying to defend Napier, although even Spurrier was running out of gas, and he said, ‘Well, you know, if we can just have a winning record.’

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“And I said, coach, you just got through saying that. I remember, in 2001, you were undefeated. You lost to Tennessee at home. It was the 9/11 year and the game was in the normal SEC championship game weekend, you lost by three points. You won the Orange Bowl, and finished number three in the country, and you quit because fans were unhappy about the season, and you went to the NFL. I mean, that’s how things used to be.”