Urban Meyer is a winner. He has been a staple of winning since his days as a coach for Bowling Green in 2001. In his first year of the program, he was awarded Mid-American Conference Coach of the year. He then took his knowledge and expertise to the University of Utah where he quickly turned the program around. He also coached Alex Smith who later became the number one pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. As Urban’s ability to win grew, so did his collegiate opportunities.
In 2005, Meyer took over the football program at Florida. He quickly took the school to prominence by winning two championships in 2006 and 2008. During his tenure at the school, he produce several NFL prospects while turning Florida to a college football jerganaut. His next college stint was with the Ohio State University. In his four years with the school, he produced a slew of NFL players like Joey Bosa who was drafted at number 3 in the 2016 NFL Draft. He also led the Buckeyes to a National Championship in 2014. Urban later stepped down from college football, citing health reason.
His tenure in college is exceptional. He managed to amass a 187-32 record (85%) with three National Championships. After a brief hiatus from coaching, Meyer has transitioned to the National Football League to coach the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars came off an abysmal season in 2020 with a 1-15 record. The entire coaching staff and upper management were relieved of their duties. Owner Shad Khan interviewed several candidates for the head coach vacancy. He ultimately was able to pull coach Meyer from retirement. With Meyer taking the job where he has total control, the expectations of winning is very high. Giving his noteworthy track record, odd are that he pulls it off.
In the NFL off-season, the Jaguars had the most cap-space (over 75 million dollars) in the NFL. Along with Trent Baalke (promoted to GM after serving as interim GM once David Caldwell was relieved of his duties), Urban Meyer signed several blue chip type of free agents with the likes of Marvin Jones Sr., Carlos Hyde and Shaquille Griffin. The two were able to fill needs for the team’s current football roster. They added keep depth for both the offense and defense side of the ball. With roster additions to go along with players they already have, the Jaguars look to infuse more talent through the NFL Draft. The selection of Trevor Lawrence is key.
Like Urban Meyer, Trevor Lawrence is a winner. The highly quarterback has been winning since high school with back to back championships. He then chose to play college football at Clemson University. In his first year of the school as a true freshman, he won a National Championship by defeating Nick Saban’s Alabama.
Trevor Lawrence’s success has been well documented. His poise, demeanor and football IQ are some of the traits that made him the number one overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars. His size and exceptional skill set are the main ingredients where experts believe he will turn the franchise around rather quickly. Giving the pedigree that both Coach Meyer and Lawrence possess, it shouldn’t take long to make the Jaguars a perineal winning franchise with multiple playoff appearances and possible Super Bowl. Those accolades are insight since the Jaguars added proven winners to its organization.
Trevor Lawrence photo by Derick E. Hingle for USA Today Sports
