Meyer hired as Jaguars' coach

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Urban Meyer agreed to become head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday, leaving the broadcast booth and returning to the sidelines after a two-year absence that followed another health scare.

The 56-year-old Meyer was team owner Shad Khan's top target, and Khan waited nearly a week to get it done. They met last Friday on Khan's yacht in Miami, again Wednesday and one final time at the facility Thursday. Hiring the longtime college coach with three national championships would signify a new direction for a franchise that has lost 105 of 144 games since Khan took over in 2012.

"This is a great day for Jacksonville and Jaguars fans everywhere," 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."

Meyer went 187-32 -- a staggering winning percentage of 85.3 -- in stops at Bowling Green (2001-02), Utah (2003-04), Florida (2005-10) and Ohio State (2012-18). He ranks seventh all time in collegiate winning percentage.

But some doubts remain about Meyer's ability to make a smooth transition to the NFL, where motivational tactics tend to be moot and losing multiple games every year is a given. Meyer never lost more than five times in any season as a college head coach; he went 83-9 at Ohio State.

Still, Meyer has been eyeing an NFL move for months. He researched the league with help from former players and friends, started assembling a potential staff and learned how the front office works.

Jacksonville was the most attractive opening. The Jaguars have 11 picks in the 2021 draft, including five in the top 65, and are nearly $100 million under the projected salary cap. Adding to the appeal: Khan, a billionaire businessman, has shown a penchant for patience and a willingness to spend big.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is a lock to land in Jacksonville with the top pick and will be the centerpiece of the team's latest rebuild.

Meyer replaces Doug Marrone, who was fired after losing the final 15 games in 2020. Marrone went 25-44 in four-plus seasons with the Jaguars.

FILE - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, right, and Ohio State NCAA college football head coach Urban Meyer answer questions during a safety clinic for mothers of youth football players in Columbus, Ohio, in this Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, file photo. A person familiar with the search says Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars are working toward finalizing a deal to make him the team's next head coach. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, because a formal agreement was not yet in place. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2016, file photo, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer shouts from the sideline in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. A person familiar with the search says Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars are working toward finalizing a deal to make him the team's next head coach. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, because a formal agreement was not yet in place. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

FILE - Florida NCAA college football head coach Urban Meyer talks to reporters after practice in Scottsdale, Ariz., ahead of the BCS Championship game against Ohio State, in this Jan. 8, 2007, file photo. A person familiar with the search says Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars are working toward finalizing a deal to make him the team's next head coach. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, because a formal agreement was not yet in place. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)