One of the more fascinating plot lines to follow this offseason has been the ascension of first-year Jaguars coach Urban Meyer, who, after decades of sustained success at the college level, has finally made the NFL leap. Newly-minted Hall-of-Famer Jimmy Johnson said Meyer picked his brain earlier this year when he was weighing an offer from the University of Texas. While Meyer ultimately turned down the Texas job (the Longhorns would pivot to Alabama offensive coordinator and former USC coach Steve Sarkisian), arriving at that decision wasn’t easy.
“I just talked to him about the pros and cons of both positions,” shared Johnson during his appearance Tuesday on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz. “I don’t think he saw the challenge that Jacksonville gives him. I think he wanted the challenge of professional football. He’s accomplished everything he could accomplish in college football. “
Johnson, who crossed paths with Meyer when both were working as football analysts on Fox, followed a similar career arc, rising to prominence on the college circuit with Oklahoma State and Miami (where he won a national title in 1987) before spending nine seasons in the NFL with the Cowboys and Dolphins.
While Johnson enjoyed a relatively smooth transition to the pros, winning a pair of Super Bowls with Dallas, Meyer has experienced plenty of early growing pains in Jacksonville. The 57-year-old admitted to being overwhelmed by free agency and was assessed a hefty fine ($100,000) for violating the NFL’s non-contact rules during OTAs. Meyer also garnered criticism for drafting a running back (Trevor Lawrence’s former Clemson teammate, Travis Etienne) in the first round and hiring disgraced strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle, who resigned from his position as director of sport performance after one day.
No stranger to controversy, Meyer’s tenures in both Gainesville and Columbus, though remarkably successful (three National Championships between Florida and Ohio State), were marred by NCAA scandals and recurring health problems. There aren’t many coaches who would turn down an opening at Texas, a legacy program and one of the most recognized brands in college athletics, but clearly Meyer wanted the challenge of building the Jaguars, a team that’s experienced just one winning season since 2008, from the ground up.
“I didn’t actually give him my feeling about what he should do,” said Johnson of his conversations with Meyer. “I just talked to him about how difficult it was going to be.”
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