Urban Meyer’s resume is strewn with national championships and a coaching career that positions him among the all-time greats. Dominating both the SEC and the Big 10 is never easy, and Meyer did that by winning Natties in both conferences. His best tenure, though, is still Florida, a program that, despite some controversies during his time, he turned around for good, winning two national championships. Although his abrupt exit and leaving the Gators high and dry is still seen through a cautious lens. But the legacy is still undeniable, and that’s one reason why former Heisman winner Johnny Manziel touts Florida to rope in the services of the coach.

Florida simply has been miserable so far. Their highly touted QB, DJ Lagway, is massively underperforming, the O-line is leaking badly, and the only positive might be their defense. In their Week 4 game against Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium, the offense managed to garner just 61 passing yards, and the rushing game too didn’t offer much, notching just 80 yards. The issue this season isn’t solely how Billy Napier is coaching but the roster he’s built. Manziel appeared on Shannon Sharpe and Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson’s podcast ‘NighCap’ and explored the Gators’ woes lately, touting Urban Meyer to be the only solution.

“If I were Florida, [I’d try] to get Urban Meyer back. I’d do anything in the world to get that man back there and get something,” said Manziel after Sharpe explored the idea of Florida hiring Meyer. According to Maziel, Meyer could use the current NIL landscape and get at least $30 million from the Gators’ collective, through means Manziel expanded on.

“The good news for Florida, with the way the college football landscape is right now, though, is if a couple of these guys get together and say enough is enough. We’re tired of this. You can go get $30-40 million in a pot in a Gainesville alumni. You can go to a collective and get enough money and be like, ‘Listen, we’re going to hit the transfer portal really hard this offseason. ‘ And in 12 months, your roster and everything can look completely different as you go into fall camp a year from now,” said Johnny Manziel. Urban Meyer, of course, was a recruiting wizard in his own right both at Florida and at Ohio State later on.

While top teams in his time used to look at the top recruiting rankings of the players and just recruit the guy. Meyer, on the other hand, relied on hands-on scouting and mostly getting recruits under the radar. Ahmad Black, Florida’s safety in the 2008 BCS national championship, who also added All-American honors in 2010 to his resume, was an under-the-radar guy.

“Ahmad Black was not even in the top 300 players in America, but a high-character guy. Tough guy that does it the right way,” said Meyer about the safety. Now, given the Gators’ financial capabilities and NIL pull, Meyer could surely turn around the program for good, since the 2024 season is already out of his hands after losing three straight games. However, would Meyer even want to get back to coaching, and at Florida, a place that was described as “toxic” during his tenure?

Urban Meyer signals caution on returning to college football coaching

The Florida Gators, undoubtedly touting their rich history and a loyal alumni base, can draw significant NIL funding. For instance, the currently active Florida Victorious collective has seen constant growth, with it boasting a whopping 230 new members after the program’s season ticket holders initiative. However, for Urban Meyer, getting back to coaching in such an environment is repelling, which makes trying to hire Meyer even more ironic to use the program’s NIL capabilities.

“I made a decision about four years ago that I’m done, and I am done. I see what’s happening, and the game has never been stronger in college football as far as a product on the field. But I worry about the residual damage when everybody, including 17-18-year-olds, thinks about that? When their primary focus is money,” said Urban Meyer in a recent interview, signaling a refusal to come back in college football. Moreover, the relationship between Meyer and the Gators has also been strenuous, after Meyer left abruptly in 2010, citing health concerns. Even his Jacksonville Jaguars position came under heavy scrutiny.

“I feel like he put us in very bad positions and, when the questions came, he deferred the responsibility, which made it look like we were just out there being the worst team in the league,” said former Jaguars receiver D.J Chark. After the humbling 7-26 loss against Miami, which came after defeats against LSU (10-20) and UCF (16-18), time sure looks to have run out for Billy Napier. The playoff possibility is mostly out of the picture, and all that remains is to plan for the future and decide if the Gators want to remain a ‘blueblood’ program. Hiring Urban Meyer can surely be a solution, but for that to happen, the former Gators legend needs to be on board.