JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer has no interest in taking another head-coaching job in college and remains committed to rebuilding the Jaguars, per a league source familiar with Meyer’s thinking.
The source said the 57-year-old coach does not want to reenter the college ranks at this point in his life. College football has changed significantly with the implementation of name, image, likeness rules, which were not in place when Meyer was coaching his final season at Ohio State (2018).
Meyer’s name has been linked to the opening at Notre Dame, thanks in large part to the fact that he previously called that his “dream job” and was courted by Notre Dame in 2005 along with Florida.
The Notre Dame job came open Monday after LSU hired Brian Kelly, who led the Fighting Irish to a 113-40 record over the past 11 seasons.
It’s not the first time this season that Meyer has been linked to an open college job. One day after USC fired Clay Helton in September, Meyer said there was “no chance” that he’d leave the NFL to become the Trojans’ head coach. The school filled that vacancy on Monday by hiring Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley.
Meyer also had said in early September that he didn’t miss the rigors of recruiting.
Meyer is in his first season with the Jaguars (2-9), who have lost three games in a row heading into Sunday’s game at the Los Angeles Rams (7-4). The Jaguars, despite drafting quarterback Trevor Lawrence first overall, have struggled on offense all season. Injuries at receiver and tight end have hurt Lawrence’s development, and the Jaguars are averaging 15.7 points, which is worse than every other NFL team except the Houston Texans (14.9).
Meyer won three national championships and had a 187-32 college coaching record during stints at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State. He won two of those titles (2006, 2008) with the Gators, whom he led to a 65-15 record in six seasons. He also led the Buckeyes to the 2014 national title and had an 83-9 record in seven seasons in Columbus, Ohio.