Report: Urban Meyer Asked Jaguars Staff Who Aaron Donald Was; 'Unfamiliar' with Stars

Urban Meyer's "deep dive" into the NFL before accepting the Jacksonville Jaguars' coaching position apparently didn't entail gaining insight into some of the league's best players.

The Athletic's Jayson Jenks and Mike Sando published an in-depth report about Meyer's brief Jaguars tenure on Monday. Among the details was his lack of knowledge about some of the NFL's marquee talents:

"But multiple sources said Meyer was unfamiliar with star players around the league, including 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel, Seahawks safety Jamal Adams and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year."

"'Who's this 99 guy on the Rams?' Meyer asked one staffer during the season, according to a source. 'I'm hearing he might be a problem for us.'"

Moving to the NFL after having coached exclusively in college is obviously an adjustment. And even experienced NFL coaches can't be expected to know every granular detail about the league; that's why teams have scouts and a general manager.

But Meyer not knowing who Donald is would be a staggering discovery.

Failing to identify the seven-time All-Pro and saying he "might be a problem for us" could be a way for Meyer to make light of his inexperience if he had made the comment in jest. Considering this wasn't an isolated incident, that doesn't seem to have been the case.

From the moment his hiring was announced, Meyer's arrival in Jacksonville, Florida, was met with skepticism.

Beyond the spotty track record of college head coaches in the NFL, Meyer's demeanor left him ill-equipped to handle the position. 

One defining trait of the 57-year-old is how much he hates to lose. Despite that, he embarked on a new challenge in which losing six or even seven games is still enough to get a team into the playoffs.

It only took two weeks before Meyer wanted to publicly reassure fans that things were moving in the right direction:

But The Athletic report outlined how hubris might have played a role in Meyer failing to even make it through a full season. Without putting in the necessary work to get himself up to speed in the NFL, he was doomed.