Urban Meyer Says He Isn't Interested in CFB Return Despite LSU, PSU, Florida Openings

Legendary head coach Urban Meyer reiterated his desire to stay retired with a number of prominent vacancies available in college football.

Meyer told Kellyanne Stitts of ABC 6 in Columbus, Ohio, that a return to the sideline doesn't interest him:

Florida, LSU and Penn State are all looking for new coaches, and the landscape will continue to evolve in the coming weeks.

Meyer has an .854 winning percentage and three national titles across a 17-year college career, accolades that speak for themselves. He has also proven to be a program builder by returning Florida and then Ohio State to the mountaintop.

But the sport has changed a lot since the 61-year-old was last on the sideline for the Buckeyes in 2018, and he understands what NIL and the transfer portal have meant for coaches.

"It has never been harder I am telling you right now," he said at a 2023 event for the Knoxville Quarterback Club, per the Knoxville News Sentinel's Mike Wilson. "Every coach, every player has an agent. Think about that. Remember those days? Maybe a coordinator every once in a while had an agent. There is nothing wrong with agents. They're great.

"But when I am the head coach having to deal with a high school player that (says) meet with my agent first. I am going I want to meet with your family because you are talking about recruiting and other stuff."

Meyer's disastrous spell with the Jacksonville Jaguars also raises questions over whether he'd still deliver the kind of success he once did.

The NFL and the college game aren't the same, but the latter has gotten more professionalized. Meyer's leadership style simply didn't work in Jacksonville, and the effect might be the same if he were back in a college locker room.

When Meyer coached Florida and Ohio State, he could stockpile talent and be demanding of his players safe in the knowledge that few could easily transfer out. Following that same blueprint is a recipe for a transfer exodus.

Bill Belichick is an example of how great coaches, just like great athletes, don't always know when to throw in the towel. Belichick's North Carolina tenure is on pace to be a terrible ending to a legendary career.

Meyer, to his credit, seems to recognize he has a good thing with his analyst role for Fox Sports.