Urban Meyer gives totally, probably, likely not true answer on coaching future

With all of the talk from fans pushing for their college football programs to hire Urban Meyer as head coach, he provided some clarity on his future.

Urban Meyer is no stranger to controversy, as evidenced by his various tenures as head coach. Yet, he would continue his career with other coaching opportunities. Which was why when he was fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars 13 games into his tenure, college football fans were clamoring for their favorite college programs to hire him.

In 2023, he has yet to take another opportunity.

When speaking at the Ohio State’s coaches clinic recetly, Meyer shut down any talk of returning to the sidelines, telling the Columbus Dispatch (subscription required) “the book’s closed,” and that “it’s going to be TV and grandfather.”

Urban Meyer says of return to coaching ‘the book’s closed’

This isn’t necessarily new, as he said back in February during an episode of the All Things Covered Podcast with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden that he had “no desire” to return to coaching.

Let’s just say that Meyer’s two previous coaching stints ended with controversy. At Ohio State, Meyer was suspended for three games over his handling of domestic abuse allegations involving his wide receivers coach Zack Smith. At the end of the season, Meyer announced his retirement from coaching altogether.

Flash forward to 2021, and Meyer was hired by the Jaguars to be their new head coach. It was quite the hire for a team that had the No. 1 overall pick and were going to use it on then-Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. From there, the controversies piled up.

He hired Chris Doyle as his director of sports performance, although he was alleged by numerous Iowa Hawkeyes football players of racism and bullying during his tenure as strength and conditioning coach.

He was alleged by placekicker Josh Lambo of kicking him during warm-ups.

There was the Thursday Night Football game in which he didn’t travel back with the team, and was caught dancing with a woman who wasn’t his wife at a bar in Ohio.

Add the other tidbits to come out of the Jaguars facility about Meyer creating a “toxic environment” and a 2-11 record, and the team saw enough, firing him.

Meyer returned to his gig on FOX’s Big Noon Football during the 2022 season.

While college football fans and message board users will continue to push for Meyer to return to the sidelines, he has said on two occasions this year he has no desire to do so.

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