Urban Meyer attends Ohio State’s pro day

The Jaguars coach had the chance to scout some of his former players as he and GM Trent Baalke were in Columbus for OSU’s pro day.

In a homecoming of sorts, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer returned to Ohio State, where he coached from 2012-18, for the team’s pro day on Tuesday. Though he hasn’t been seen at many pro days this offseason, given his ties to the Buckeyes program and the number of talented prospects on the team, it’s no surprise he made the sojourn up to Columbus along with Jags general manager Trent Baalke.

The most high-profile prospect at the pro day was quarterback Justin Fields, who many expect to be the third quarterback off the 2021 draft board. It could be that Meyer simply wanted to do his due diligence on the Buckeyes’ top prospect, but it’s highly unlikely the team drafts a quarterback other than Lawrence with the first overall pick.

12 draft eligible prospects from Ohio State who were coached by Urban Meyer

There are several other Ohio State prospects that Meyer could’ve been interested in scouting, as well. According to Eleven Warriors, a total of 15 prospects worked out for the Buckeyes, many of which were coached by Meyer in college (though he didn’t coach star transfers Fields and Trey Sermon).

OSU had several intriguing defensive prospects participate in Tuesday’s pro day, including linebackers Baron Browning and Pete Warner, along with nose tackle Tommy Togiai. Cornerback Shaun Wade, a Jacksonville native who played at Trinity Christian Academy, didn’t participate and delayed his workout until he fully recovers from turf toe.

Though Meyer already has a lot of familiarity with most of these players, he got an up-close look at how much they’ve developed since he left two years ago. And it seems like a safe bet that the Jaguars will draft at least one player from Ohio State in next month’s NFL draft.