Would Urban Meyer really take the Cowboys job over college football return?
By John Buhler
Urban Meyer is done with coaching for now, but maybe he has his eyes on the NFL as opposed to the college game. Would he take over the Dallas Cowboys?
As football coaches continue to do unimpressive work on the gridiron, high-profile jobs may soon open up. In college football, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before the USC Trojans move on from Clay Helton. Jay Gruden has been fired by the Washington Redskins in the NFL. Perhaps Dan Quinn of the Atlanta Falcons or Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys are next?
While he is certainly enjoying his life away from coaching and working for FOX as a college football analyst and a member of the Big Noon Kickoff, former Ohio State Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer may have an interest in one job we weren’t initially expecting: How bout them Cowboys?
On Friday’s episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Meyer told his FOX colleague that an opening in Dallas might be enticing enough to get him back into the coaching game. “Sure,” said Meyer. “Absolutely. Absolutely. That’s the one. Yes.”
Meyer was one of the few longtime college head coaches that many people thought could transition to the NFL level. This might be a more appealing avenue for Meyer than coaching college kids, as the variance in the college game and only being given maybe one loss a year to compete for championships can make the job insanely stressful.
Meyer retired from coaching for the second time in a decade due to health concerns. He did join Ohio State after a year doing analyst work upon retiring for the first time after coaching the Florida Gators. The NFL is a different beast, but even the best teams lose multiple regular-season games. But it’s more than the NFL game that could be appealing for Meyer to want the Dallas gig.
Keep in mind that his coaching protegé Dan Mullen‘s star quarterback at Mississippi State in Dak Prescott now runs the offense in Dallas. Prescott would not have a problem running Meyer’s offensive system that uses a quarterbacks’ ability to make plays with his arms and his legs.
Though Oklahoma Sooners’ head coach Lincoln Riley may be a serious target to replace Garrett is he is fired, Riley may not be ready to leave Norman just yet. He needs to win a national title, as opposed to bowing out in the national semifinal of every the Sooners make every single January.
Going from FOX to the NFL would certainly rile up Buckeye Nation for reasons we don’t need to talk about. Regardless, the Buckeyes are in terrific shape with Ryan Day as head coach and Justin Fields as their star quarterback. But could you imagine Meyer teaming up with Prescott in Dallas? Throw high-profile owner Jerry Jones in the mix and this is a certain fireworks show.
For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.