During the second half of Nebraska’s 49-14 loss to Oklahoma, news broke that Urban Meyer had been contacted by the University of Nebraska athletic department regarding its head coach position. However, Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports says the school is still identifying potential candidates for the head coach vacancy, so unknown precisely what the nature of the conversation was.
Meyer was in Lincoln for Saturday’s game as a FOX Big Noon Kickoff crew member. The Lincoln crowd warmly received the three-time national champion head coach, who occasionally took up “we want Urban” chants. Meyer has recently reciprocated the affection by saying that Nebraska fans “are as good fans as there are in America.”
It’s no surprise to hear Meyer’s name connected to the job as Athletic Director Trev Alberts stated that the process will involve talking to “a lot of people.”
“Ultimately, you know, in a prior life, I have relationships with a lot of coaches in this business, and I intend to reach out to a lot of people. So if you hear that Trev Alberts reached out to XYZ coach, it doesn’t mean that I’ve offered the job to XYZ coach. I think there’s some fabulous coaches out there that have a perspective about our job that I can benefit from so I’m going to reach out to a lot of people.
“If you hear that Trev Alberts reached out to XYZ coach, it might very well be true. Doesn’t mean that I’m trying to hire that coach. I’d like to get that perspective. I’d like to get a perspective of a coach who isn’t here right now about our job, and what the uniqueness is and the needs and those sorts of things. So just want to be clear about that process. Obviously, there’s been some changes in college football with the early signing date and transfer portal. There are considerations as we go forward as well.”
This will not be the last time Urban Meyer’s name is mentioned in connection with the Nebraska job, and there will undoubtedly be more names to follow. With the promise of a “detail-oriented process,” it could be some time before a permanent head coach is named.
Below are social media reactions and video clips of Urban Meyer’s trip to Lincoln.