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Urban Meyer's Son Nate Joins Luke Fickell, Cincinnati Football as Walk-On WR

Megan ArmstrongSenior Analyst IIMay 14, 2020

CINCINNATI, OH - OCTOBER 19: Cincinnati Bearcats helmets are seen during the game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Nippert Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Urban Meyer has remained out of college football since announcing his retirement in December 2018, but his son is carrying on the family legacy.

Nate Meyer joined the Cincinnati football team as a walk-on wide receiver, head coach Luke Fickell confirmed to Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel on Wednesday.

Fickell added that he projects Nate to be a special teams player after the 21-year-old sophomore had been a scholarship baseball player at Cincinnati, while Thamel noted that Nate's decision to switch stems from wanting "to better prepare himself for his goal of becoming a college football coach, as he's hoping to follow in his father's footsteps."

Nate was an outfielder for the Bearcats baseball team. He earned AAC All-Academic Team honors and played 22 games as a freshman in 2019. He announced his commitment to Cincinnati in January 2017:

Nate Meyer @nxmeyer15

Honored and humbled to say that I have committed to further my academic and athletic career at The University of Cincinnati. Go Bearcats! https://t.co/Bp4kL1XYFp

Per Thamel, Nate was inspired to pursue a career in football coaching after he trained with the Ohio State football team prior to his freshman year.

Urban relayed to Thamel what his son told him in fall 2018: "Dad, I made a decision. I changed my major to psychology like you were and I want to be a football coach. I thought, 'Oh boy.'"

Nate won't be like most walk-ons, as he has known Fickell since he was 12 years old. Fickell is entering his fourth year as Cincinnati's head coach. The program went 4-8 in 2017 before vastly improving to 11-2 in 2018 and 11-3 last season.

Alec Pierce's 652 yards and Josiah Deguara's seven touchdowns led the Bearcats' receiving corps. Pierce will be a junior in 2020, while the Green Bay Packers selected Deguara in the third round of April's NFL draft.