Urban Meyer officially hired to be head coach of Jacksonville Jaguars

Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was officially named the new coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday. Let the fun begin.

It is now official. Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is now the man in charge of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

For Meyer, it ends a two-year hiatus as a retired football coach after he rode off into the sunset after OSU’s win over Washington in the Rose Bowl out in Pasadena. He had been doing work as an analyst with FOX and the Big Ten Network, after seemingly every opening coaching job resulted in his name being rumored with a level of interest. None of those came to fruition, until now with Jacksonville.

“This is a great day for Jacksonville and Jaguars fans everywhere,” Jacksonville owner Shad Khan said in a statement. “Urban Meyer is who we want and need, a leader, winner and champion who demands excellence and produces results. While Urban already enjoys a legacy in the game of football that few will ever match, his passion for the opportunity in front of him here in Jacksonville is powerful and unmistakable.”

For Meyer, though the move back into the coaching ranks will undoubtedly result in some significant criticism from those that believe he has run from problems under the cloak of health concerns, the time was right.

“I’m ready to coach the Jacksonville Jaguars,” said Meyer in a statement. “Jacksonville has an enthusiastic fan base, and the fans deserve a winning team. With upcoming opportunities in the upcoming NFL draft, and strong support from ownership, the Jaguars are well-positioned to become competitive. I’ve analyzed this decision from every angle – the time is right in Jacksonville, and the time is right for me to return to coaching. I’m excited about the future of this organization and our long-term prospect for success.”

You can take a coach out of the game, but you simply can’t take the game out of a lifelong coach. Though Meyer has said repeatedly that he believed he was done coaching, the lure of trying his hand at the highest level in the game in the NFL, in a state he and his family loves (Florida), proved to be too much to say no to.

So let the Urban Meyer experiment begin in JAX. It’s going to be an interesting one to watch unfold.