If there is anything that has become clear over the last few months, it’s that Urban Meyer loves the state of Florida. While his time with the Gators was cut short, the state remained a place close to his heart. Now, with a decade passing since his time in Gainesville, he’s found himself back in the area coaching on the professional level in Jacksonville.
In the process of getting to know Jags owner Shad Khan, Meyer told NBC’s Peter King that it didn’t take long to see that the man he’d eventually be working for shared the same passion. The decision to take the Jags’ vacancy became that much easier, and now Meyer has been tasked with fixing an organization for a community he’s come to love.
“I think, first of all, his personal story is amazing,” said Meyer. “Where he’s from, how he built an empire, and I just think he’s an incredible person. Then I found out [about] his passion for Jacksonville and we share that same passion.
I know Jacksonville because I spent a lot of time here recruiting, my kids would come here quite often, I’m on the Tim Tebow Foundation and I’m a part of that every year. I think this is an incredible place and I think these are tough, blue-collar people who want to win. We share that same opinion.”
With last season being the worst in franchise history and little success before it, Khan wanted the Jags to become a more coach-centric organization. Meyer’s familiarity with the area and their shared passion for Jacksonville gave Khan little doubt who his top candidate was.
A big part of Khan adding Meyer, of course, was to restore the only success he’s seen the franchise have (in 2017), which resulted in a great deal of support from the city. This is something Meyer has witnessed firsthand during some of the collegiate stops he’s made as he improved several programs from some of their low points.
“When you say Shad Khan wants to win badly I’m sure there are some personal feelings for that, same with me,” Meyer said. “However, that’s second to when you see Jacksonville, Florida, and the opportunity here to go.
“I’ve been a part of environments like Salt Lake City, when all of a sudden you start winning games and the place explodes,” Meyer added, referring to Bowling Green and Gainesville, too. “All of a sudden the world turns upside down and you start winning games. That’s why I’m doing it and I can promise you that’s why our owner is doing it.”
There’s hardly a fan base itching for a winning season more than that of the Jags’ — and if Meyer can build a successful team, that excitement could only bubble over to Jacksonville at large.