He’s the third-winningest coach in all of College Football with three national championships. Now, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December of 2025.
Meyer made his way to Columbus in 2012 where he was inheriting a program that was teetering after “tattoo-gate.” Jim Tressel was forced to resign and Meyer who had left the University of Florida a year earlier due to health reasons was ready to get back in the game. He would make an immediate impact, taking over a team that went 6-7 the year before and leading them to an undefeated season in his first year.
Unfortunately, the Buckeyes were ineligible for postseason play that first season leaving fans to wonder “What if?”
Meyer would deliver a few short years later leading Ohio State to the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship. Under Meyer’s leadership from 2012-2018, the Buckeyes would win 83 games to just nine losses and of course a 7-0 record against Michigan. Before OSU, Meyer spent time at Bowling Green, Utah, and Florida where he won two national titles.
Urban Meyer, the third-winningest coach in Division I history who led @OhioStateFB to a national championship, three Big Ten titles and seven wins over Michigan, will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this year as a member of the 2025 class. pic.twitter.com/jGl983cf8h
Meyer becomes the eighth coach from Ohio State to be voted into the College Football Hall of Fame joining other Buckeye greats Howard Jones (1910), John Wilce (1913-28), Francis Schmidt (1934-40), Woody Hayes (1951-78), Earle Bruce (1979-87), John Cooper (1988-2000) and Jim Tressel (2001-10).
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Head coach Urban Meyer became the 14th Florida Gator to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Urban Meyer became the 14th member of the Florida football program and the fifth coach to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, according to the National Football Foundation’s announcement on Wednesday.
The former Gators head coach commanded the sidelines of the Swamp from 2005 to 2010, putting together a 65-15 overall record and 36-12 mark against fellow Southeastern Conference schools. That included a pair of national championships in 2006 and 2008 along with two Southeastern Conference Championships in those same seasons.
Additionally, Meyer led UF to three SEC Eastern Division crowns and six straight January bowl games — including three BCS bowl matchups. He was the first coach in the history of the Football Bowl Subdivision to post consecutive 13-win seasons, coming in 2008 and 2009.
Meyer went 11-4 against top-10 teams and at one point, his teams were ranked in 89 consecutive polls — including 67 weeks in the top 10 and 16 weeks at No. 1. From the beginning of October 2008 to the start of October 2010, Florida won 16-straight SEC games, marking the second-longest streak in school history.
At home during his tenure, the Gators dominated to the tune of a 36-5 record, re-setting the standard for the Swamp’s intimidating reputation.
The 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
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Why the SEC remains the top conference in college football despite a few recent struggles in 2023 and 2024
Following Georgia’s Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame, many college football experts are claiming that the SEC is no longer the best conference in the nation.
“The SEC is a great conference…the narrative that they are CLEARLY the best and deserve every benefit of the doubt needs to die,” said Fox Sports college football expert Joel Klatt via social media after the Sugar Bowl.
We have to disagree with this point. Yes, the SEC is in the middle of a couple of down years. Last season, the national championship did not feature a single SEC team for the first time since 2014.
“Is the SEC run over? It is,” said former Ohio State and Florida coach Urban Meyer recently. “The Big Ten has passed them (the SEC) for 2023 and 2024.”
Meyer’s argument is more valid. The Big Ten appears to have the national championship winner in two straight seasons.
This year, we would be surprised if Ohio State does not beat Texas to advance to (and win) the national title and eliminate the final remaining SEC team. Ohio State looks like the best time in the country.
Despite a few recent hiccups, the SEC is still the top conference in college football and it isn’t close.
So why is the SEC still easily the best conference in the country?
Most NFL draft picks
Detroit Free Press
The SEC has had the most players selected in the NFL draft for 18 straight seasons and that’s not going to change in the 2025 NFL draft. NFL teams are looking for the best players and if general managers miss on their draft picks, then they are often fired.
The NFL trusts SEC players more than those from any other conference. If the SEC were close to other conferences, then it would not have an 18 year NFL draft streak.
Most recent national championships
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The SEC has won six of the 10 national championships during the College Football Playoff era. The Big Ten and ACC (two national titles each) are the only other conferences to win during this span.
Overall, the SEC has won 14 of the last 19 national championships. During that time frame, the ACC has won three national championships, the Big Ten has won two titles, and the Big 12 and Pac-10 combined for zero titles. The national championships discussion isn’t close either.
Best recruiting
Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
The SEC brings in the most talent of any conference. In fact, the SEC signed eight of the top 11 recruiting classes in the nation in the 2025 cycle.
An SEC has signed the top recruiting class for 17 straight years according to 247Sports. Miami (2008) was the last non-SEC school to sign a No. 1 class (we had to go to ESPN because 247Sports’ database did not go that far back). Again, if it were close, then an SEC team would not secure the best recruiting class every year.
When the SEC falters in recruiting, the NFL draft race, and the national championship race, then it may be time to consider the Big Ten as keeping up with the SEC, but until then I’m not buying that the Big Ten has surpassed the SEC.
The former Irish staffer knows a bit about football
Head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] has guided Notre Dame football to a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals, and it has brought plenty of eyes to the program.
One of those knows South Bend fairly well, from 1996-2000, college football legend [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag] roamed the sidelines for the Irish as their wide receivers coach. His next stop, Bowling Green, was the start of his Hall of Fame head career, so it’s safe to say that he knows football.
Meyer recently discussed on The Triple Option podcast hosted by himself and others like Fox Sports Host Rob Stone, who was with him when the topic of Freeman and Notre Dame came up. He said that he “got a little choked up watching Notre Dame just put it to an SEC team that a few years ago you would never even thought that would happen.”
His emotions took over, which is the case for many of us. It was a win that was hard to see until recently, and hopefully, it’s just a glimpse of what’s to come.
Mar. 26, 2011; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly (right) chats with former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer during practice at the Loftus Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
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The Jaguars fired head coach Doug Pederson on Monday following Jacksonville’s Week 18 loss to the Indianapolis Colts and the franchise’s 4-13 2024 season, team owner Shad Khan announced in a statement.
The Jaguars are retaining general manager Trent Baalke, who will assist Khan in finding a new head coach, the statement read.
“I had the difficult task this morning of informing Doug Pederson of my intention to hire a new head coach to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Khan wrote.
“Doug is an accomplished football man who will undoubtedly enjoy another chapter in his impressive NFL career, and I will be rooting for Doug and his wife Jeannie when that occasion arrives. As much as Doug and I both wish his experience here in Jacksonville would have ended better, I have an obligation first and foremost to serve the best interests of our team and especially our fans, who faithfully support our team and are overdue to be rewarded. In that spirit, the time to summon new leadership is now.
“I strongly believe it is possible next season to restore the winning environment we had here not long ago. I will collaborate with General Manager Trent Baalke and others, within and close to our organization, to hire a leader who shares my ambition and is ready to seize the extraordinary opportunity we will offer in Jacksonville.”
Pederson, 56, went 22-29 in the regular season and 23-30 including the postseason during his 53-game stint with the Jaguars. He owns a 64-66-1 regular-season record as an NFL head coach and a 69-69-1 mark including the playoffs and his Super Bowl LII victory with the Philadelphia Eagles.
In August, the Jaguars released a documentary that featured Khan’s message to the squad before their preseason, suggesting it was “the best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars, ever,” all-encompassing.
“Best players, best coaches. But most importantly, let’s prove it by winning now,” Khan said.
That same team experienced two losing streaks of four or more games, was eliminated from playoff contention in Week 13, and at season’s end clinched the No. 5 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 03: Trevor Lawrence #16 and head coach Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars talk in the third quarter of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on November 03, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Jacksonville’s offense failed to meet expectations after quarterback Trevor Lawrence signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with the club in June. The Jaguars ranked No. 25 in the NFL in yards per game (306.2) and No. 26 in points per game (18.8) in 2024, after finishing the 2023 season No. 13 (339.5) and No. 14 (22.2) in those respective categories.
A combination of injuries sidelined Lawrence for most of the season’s second half. He missed two games after hurting his left, non-throwing shoulder against the Eagles in Week 9, and was placed on injured reserve after suffering a concussion against the Houston Texans in Week 13. He had surgery on his shoulder on Dec. 17.
The Jaguars’ offense averaged 278.1 yards and 15 points per game over the seven contests Mac Jones, an offseason trade acquisition from the New England Patriots, started at quarterback.
Jacksonville’s defense underwent a significant facelift this past offseason. Pederson fired two-year defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and replaced him with Ryan Nielsen, who made his NFL play-calling debut with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023.
Nielsen installed a new scheme, and the Jaguars added a handful of fresh contributors to pair. They signed defensive lineman Arik Armstead, cornerback Ronald Darby and safety Darnell Savage Jr. in free agency; they picked nickel cornerback Jarrian Jones and defensive linemen Maason Smith and Jordan Jefferson between the second and fourth rounds of the 2024 NFL draft.
Yet Jacksonville’s defense took a drastic step back from the year before. It ranked No. 31 in yards allowed per game (389.9), tied for No. 27 in points allowed per game (25.6) and last in turnovers generated (nine) in 2024, down from No. 22 (342.8), No. 17 (21.8) and No. 8 (27) to end the 2023 campaign, respectively.
Pederson’s early returns in Jacksonville were promising
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 05: Doug Pederson looks on as Shad Khan, Owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, speaks during a press conference introducing him as the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Stadium on February 05, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
The Jaguars cast a wide net in their search to replace the controversial Urban Meyer as head coach nearly three years ago. Pederson reportedly received the first and last interview out of 10 candidates in a near-two-month process between Dec. 2021 and Feb. 2022.
Aside from his Super Bowl-winning status, Pederson was sought out by Jacksonville to bolster the development of its franchise quarterback and No. 1 overall 2021 NFL draft pick, Lawrence. Pederson was renowned for his work with passers, including Alex Smith as the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator and Carson Wentz and Nick Foles as the Eagles’ head coach.
“Doug Pederson four years ago won a Super Bowl as head coach of a franchise in pursuit of its first world championship,” Khan said in a Feb. 2022 statement.
“I hope Doug can replicate that magic here in Jacksonville, but what is certain is his proven leadership and experience as a winning head coach in the National Football League. It’s exactly what our players deserve. Nothing less. Combine this with his acumen on the offensive side of the ball, and you have why I am proud to name Doug Pederson the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.”
After completing 59.6% of his passes for 3,641 yards with 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions as a rookie under Meyer, Lawrence produced a 64.8% completion rate, 10,133 passing yards, 57 touchdowns and 28 interceptions in 42 starts under Pederson.
Pederson and the Jaguars caught lightning in a bottle in an 18-game stretch between 2022-23. After entering Week 14 of the head coach’s first season in town 4-8, Jacksonville ripped off five consecutive wins to secure a playoff berth and a sixth during the AFC Wild Card Round over the Los Angeles Chargers in a 27-point comeback, the largest in franchise history.
Jacksonville fell to Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Divisional Round, 27-20. But the Jaguars’ seemingly franchise-altering momentum under Pederson did not immediately halt.
The Jaguars opened 8-3 in 2023, put together another five-game winning streak between Weeks 4-8, and held a 4-1 record in the AFC South through Week 12. They beat three eventual playoff teams in that stretch: The Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and Texans.
At that point, Jacksonville had won 14 of its last 18 games including in the playoffs, with Lawrence largely excelling, throwing for 3,719 yards with 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Knocked off course, Pederson could not turn the Jaguars around
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 04: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars is helped up by head coach Doug Pederson after being injured against the Cincinnati Bengals during the fourth quarter at EverBank Stadium on December 04, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
But Lawrence suffered a high-ankle sprain, and starting slot receiver Christian Kirk endured a season-ending core muscle injury, in Jacksonville’s Week 13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, sending the Jaguars’ 2023 season into a spiral.
Lawrence played through his ankle injury but experienced a concussion in a Week 15 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He cleared protocol to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16, only to hurt his throwing shoulder during that game, leading Lawrence to miss the first start of his NFL career in Week 17 against Carolina.
The Jaguars managed their only win of the six-game span to end the season with Lawrence sidelined, beating the Panthers, who finished the year with a 2-15 record, with C.J. Beathard at quarterback.
Jacksonville lost to the Tennessee Titans and was eliminated from playoff contention when Lawrence returned in Week 18. He was listed as questionable entering the weekend.
Despite leading the NFL in total offseason spending in an effort to bounce back this year, the Jaguars did anything but. Jacksonville opened a season 0-4 for the sixth time in its 30-year franchise history, and the first time since Meyer’s lone campaign in charge.
Jacksonville’s first win in 2024, at home in Week 5 against Indianapolis, was nearly stolen by 39-year-old, recent journeyman quarterback Joe Flacco.
The Jaguars held a 34-20 lead with 5:09 left in regulation, but Flacco completed three passes for 135 yards, tossed one touchdown and set up another for Colts running back Trey Sermon, to tie the contest over two drives.
Rookie Jacksonville kicker Cam Little hit a 49-yard field goal with 17 seconds left and edge rusher Travon Walker sacked Flacco on the final play to ensure the victory.
Jacksonville had to overcome a 10-point opening deficit to New England and its rookie quarterback, Drake Maye, to beat the Patriots overseas in Week 7. Lawrence pitched a pair of touchdowns and wide receiver Parker Washington returned a punt for a 96-yard score in the second quarter to snatch the matchup’s momentum.
The Jaguars only won two more games after returning stateside. They swept their AFC South rival Titans, who finished the season 3-14, with a 10-6 victory in Week 14 and a 20-13 triumph in Week 17.
Jacksonville’s second extended losing streak of the season began in Week 8, opening with one-score defeats against the Green Bay Packers, Eagles and Minnesota Vikings before the Detroit Lions handed the Jaguars their biggest beating in team history in Week 11, 52-6.
NFL Network reported before kickoff in Week 11 that a loss to the Lions could have prompted Khan to fire Pederson and Baalke during Jacksonville’s Week 12 bye. But Pederson and Baalke remained in their roles when the Jaguars returned to action in Week 13, a 23-20 loss to the Texans, and for the rest of the season.
Jacksonville went 5-18 between Lawrence suffering his ankle injury against Cincinnati in 2023 and Pederson’s dismissal on Monday.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated.
Urban being Urban in describing Ohio State in the CFP. #GoBucks
Ohio State football blew out the No. 1 Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday. Closing as about a field goal favorite, the Buckeyes ended the first quarter and a half up 31-0.
The Buckeyes eventually won by a 20-point margin, finishing the game up 41-21. It was a monster effort from wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and quarterback Will Howard. The defense stood strong consistently as well.
Ohio State looked unstoppable in the quarterfinal against Oregon, and it obliterated top ten opponent Tennessee in the first round of the playoff as well. The Buckeyes have more than proven themselves in the College Football Playoff.
Former head coach and current analyst, Urban Meyer, gave his take on this Buckeyes team ahead of taking on the Texas Longhorns. It may be no surprise, but Meyer is bullish on the Buckeyes per Athlon Sports’ Cole Sullivan.
“Yeah, if Team-A shows up, this will be a wrap. Ohio State will lift the gold trophy,” Meyer said. “If the best roster in the country plays like the best roster in the country, they’ll be national champs in a few weeks, and we’re witnessing it. Every skill player on Ohio State, I think, will be playing substantially in the National Football League. That’s how good they are.”
Meyer isn’t wrong either. This team has the talent that will undoubtedly be playing at the next level, and players like Smith and Emeka Egbuka could already be there.
Former college football head coach and current CFB analyst on FOX Urban Meyer believes Texas will secure a spot in the CFP Semifinals. Meyer credits Texas’s victory to their dominance at the line of scrimmage. He noted that Texas possesses an advantage on both the offensive and defensive lines against Arizona State, likening them to a “buzzsaw” that ASU can’t overpower. Meyers shared these opinions on his podcast.
The Longhorns have emerged as one of the most dominant units in the nation this season. Named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, the Longhorns’ front five have been instrumental in propelling Texas to top-tier offensive production.
“As you start to get higher, the more competitive the games are. A lot of times the skill set, unless you just have an absolute freak of freaks, skillsets, a lot of times start to equalize a little bit the line of scrimmage because it’s going to be a field position game.” Meyers added.
Led by linemen Kelvin Banks Jr., Jake Majors, and Cam Williams, the Longhorns’ offensive line has not only secured national recognition but also individual accolades. Each player has earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors this season. Banks, a cornerstone of the line, is projected as a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Kelvin Banks Jr. is one of my favorite players in the class. Technical wizard with his hands. pic.twitter.com/gvx7egVZmo
Arizona State’s offensive line has also excelled, allowing just 18 sacks on the season and fueling a ground attack that averages nearly 200 rushing yards per game. Still, Texas’ ability to protect the quarterback and dominate the trenches sets them apart.
Arizona State wide receivers coach Hines Ward with some high praise for Sam Leavitt and his development this season.
Ward noted one of Leavitt’s biggest improvements this season has been his knowledge pic.twitter.com/9yMc1mPBQk
The Texas Longhorns and the Arizona State Sundevils’ will face off in Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl from Mercedes Benz Stadium on New Year’s Day at 12 p.m. CT on ESPN.
ESPN considers ‘worst mistake’ Jaguars have made in last five seasons
Every NFL team has made its share of mistakes. Some more, and some much bigger, than others.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are, historically, no strangers to committing errors, as they have attempted to field a Super Bowl-contending team over 30 years of existence and have only 10 winning seasons to show for it.
And in their last five, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes the Jaguars committed one of the biggest blunders in the league by hiring Urban Meyer as their head coach in 2021.
Barnwell considered Meyer’s short tenure in Duval the sixth-worst mistake an NFL team has made since 2020, noting the one-year Jaguars head coach’s staff choices, personal decisions and awkward moments among the flaws he committed on the job.
There are so many moments from the Meyer era that could be considered embarrassing decisions and situations in their own right. The Chris Doyle hire. Signing Tim Tebow to play tight end. Abandoning the team plane so he could go to his bar in Ohio, at which point he was filmed in close contact with someone who wasn’t his wife. An impossibly awkward handshake with Mike Vrabel. Talking about the expanded role on defense for a player who had been on the field for zero snaps. His reported unfamiliarity with Aaron Donald and Deebo Samuel. Oh, and allegedly kicking his own kicker, which finally led to the Jaguars firing him.
Meyer went 2-11, wasted a year of Trevor Lawrence’s rookie contract and set the franchise back well beyond where it was when he arrived. Doug Pederson took over as coach, and it’s a small miracle that he got the Jags to the playoffs the following season at 9-8. While Jags fans are understandably frustrated with what has happened since, even the lowlights of the Pederson era feel like Vince Lombardi in comparison to Meyer’s abbreviated run.
Jaguars Wire need not add further comment.
Barnwell faulted the Cleveland Browns for making the league’s most self-damaging move since 2020: Trading for quarterback Deshaun Watson and giving him a fully guaranteed, $230 million contract in 2022, while he faced nearly two dozen civil allegations of sexual misconduct. The NFL eventually suspended Watson for 11 games that season.
The Browns have since benched Watson after he passed for 3,365 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 19 starts, going 9-10.
It seems like whenever there is a significant job opening in college football, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer gets his name lobbed all over message boards, certain media mouthpieces, and social media.
Scratch that, his name has also been floated out there when current Ohio State head coach, Ryan Day, can’t get the job done against Michigan. After all, Day is 1-4 against the Wolverines, a far cry from the 7-0 record Urban Frank Meyer had against OSU’s arch rival.
So, here we are again after Day’s Buckeyes lost a hard-fought and rather inept game against the Wolverines again. A report circulated earlier this week from former local Columbus and ESPN sportscaster Jay Crawford that Meyer might be interested in returning to coach Ohio State. That was shared across the internet here and likely through the entire Milky Way Galaxy and many in Buckeye Nation peed their pants a little with excitement.
However, sometimes rumors are just rumors, and that appears to be what this was here. But hey, don’t take our word for it, how about from the man himself? Meyer addressed the speculation on “The Triple Option” sports show hosted by himself, and Fox’s Rob Stone and Mark Ingram.
“It has come to my attention that there are reports speculating my return to the sidelines in Columbus,” Meyer said on the show. “While I thoroughly enjoyed my seven seasons as head coach of THE Ohio State University. I have no interest in coaching again. I will always be a Buckeye and have full confidence in Ryan Day, his staff, and every player that puts on the Scarlet and Gray.”
This seems like an annual thing now doesn’t it. While many with a slew of Scarlet and Gray in their wardrobes would love for Meyer to prowl the sidelines again on the banks of the Olentangy, this should put that to rest. Maybe.
It’s time for Ohio State fans to turn their focus on cheering for this team through the 12-team College Football Playoff in hopes that it can get its mojo back and bring home a national championship.
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