In 2004, Meyer was recognized as the college football coach of the year by both sportswriters (
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year) and television commentators (
Home Depot Coach of the Year Award). He then had twenty years of college coaching experience, including nine as a head coach. His winning percentage (.842) through the end of the 2009 season ranked first nationally among active college football head coaches. By winning the 2009 BCS Championship game on January 8, 2009, Meyer moved past Oklahoma head coach
Bob Stoops into second place on the list of active Division I coaches ranked by winning percentage. Meyer is Catholic, and on several occasions has referred to the head coaching position at the
University of Notre Dame as his "dream job", leading to speculation that he would someday wish to coach there. However, according to a July 2009 newspaper report, Meyer insisted he would never leave Florida for Notre Dame. And when the employment status of Irish coach
Charlie Weis came into question in November 2009, Meyer held a press conference to dispel rumors linking him to the possible opening, stating that he would remain at Florida for "as long as they'll have me". The University of Cincinnati's
Brian Kelly was eventually hired for the job. On December 26, 2009, Meyer announced he would resign following the team's
bowl game against Cincinnati, citing health concerns. However, the following day Meyer announced that he would instead take an indefinite
leave of absence, and he resumed his coaching duties in time for the beginning of the Gators' spring practice on March 17, 2010. Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley announced Meyer's resignation on December 8, 2010, but stated that Meyer would remain as the head coach through the Gators' appearance in the
Outback Bowl on January 1, 2011. His first collegiate coaching position was a two-year stint as a graduate assistant coaching tight ends at Ohio State under head coach
Earle Bruce. At Notre Dame in 2000, he coached wide receiver
David Givens who would later be drafted by the
New England Patriots. In 1990, while still the linebacker coach at Illinois State, he called
Toledo head coach
Nick Saban's home and spoke to Saban's wife to inquire if a position was available. Saban, however, never returned the call. Saban later said "I was so kind of caught up and busy with what I was doing, I never really followed up on that. Obviously, that was a huge mistake on my part because the guy's a fantastic coach."
Bowling Green In 2001, Meyer took his first head coaching job at
Bowling Green. He also earned Mid-American Conference coach of the year honors. The next year, Bowling Green finished with a 9–3 record. He helped turn around a team that had gone 2–9 in 2000 in large part due to quarterback
Josh Harris, a player tailor-made for Meyer's scheme. In a part-time play in 2001, Harris passed for 1,022 yards with nine touchdowns and ran for 600 yards and eight touchdowns. The next year, he passed for 2,425 yards with 19 touchdowns and ran for 737 yards with 20 touchdowns. Meyer would later use such quarterbacks as
Alex Smith and
Tim Tebow in a fashion similar to the way Meyer used Harris.
Utah After two seasons at Bowling Green, he took the job at
Utah in 2003. In his
first year there, Meyer was named the
Mountain West Conference's Coach of the Year with a 10–2 record, the best ever for a coach's first season at Utah. He also earned honors as
The Sporting News National Coach of the Year, the first Utes coach to do so. They also won the program's first outright conference championship since the
1957 team won the
Skyline Conference title. Meyer's success can be attributed to his unique offensive system, which is an offshoot of
Bill Walsh's
West Coast Offense, relying on short pass routes. Meyer's base offense spreads three receivers and puts the
quarterback in
shotgun formation. Then, he introduces motion in the backfield and turns it into an
option attack, adding elements of the traditional run-oriented
option offense. He remained at Utah long enough to coach the team to a
Fiesta Bowl win over
Pittsburgh, In 2003, Utes quarterback Alex Smith threw for 2,247 yards and 15 touchdowns and ran for 452 yards with five touchdowns. In 2004, he threw for 2,952 yards with 32 touchdowns and ran for 631 yards and 10 touchdowns. His production in Meyer's offensive scheme was a large reason why Smith was considered a first-round pick entering the
2005 NFL draft.
Florida In the wake of his accomplishments at Utah, both the
University of Florida and the University of Notre Dame vied for his services. Meyer chose to become Florida's head coach for the 2005 season, signing a seven-year contract worth $14 million. On August 3, 2009, Meyer received another contract extension that made him the SEC's highest-paid coach during the 2009 season; his 2009 extension was worth $24 million over six years. At the time of the latest contract extension, Meyer was the third highest-paid college football coach, behind only
Pete Carroll and
Charlie Weis. Meyer has been criticized by some commentators because 31 of his players were arrested during his six years as the Gators' coach. The seriousness of the charges varied widely, from minor offenses such as possession of alcohol by a minor to the charges of possession of a concealed weapon, "aggravated stalking, domestic violence by strangulation, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and fraudulent use of credit cards".
2005 season In 2005, his first season at Florida, Meyer's
Gators team finished the season 9–3 (5–3 in the
Southeastern Conference). The season included an undefeated record at home and a 31–24 victory against
Iowa in the
Outback Bowl in
Tampa, Florida. The Gators would have faced
LSU in the , but they lost to
South Carolina and former Florida head coach
Steve Spurrier in the SEC regular-season finale.
2006 season In 2006, Meyer coached the Gators to a 13–1 (8–1 in the SEC) record, with the one loss coming to the
Auburn Tigers. After clinching the SEC East, the Gators won the on December 2 over
Arkansas by a score of 38–28. The Gators defeated the
Ohio State Buckeyes, 41–14, in the
2007 BCS National Championship Game to win the national championship. It was the first BCS bowl berth for the Gators since the
Orange Bowl that capped off the 2001 campaign, and Florida's first national championship appearance and victory since winning the
1997 Sugar Bowl. During his tenure at the University of Florida, Coach Meyer never defeated Auburn. Quarterback Tim Tebow also became Coach Meyer's first
Heisman Trophy winner. The team led the conference in scoring, but struggles on defense made it difficult for the Gators to reach a
BCS bowl game. The Gators lost the to
Michigan 41–35 on January 1, 2008. On December 6, 2008, Meyer led the Gators to a 31–20 victory over then top-ranked
Alabama in the
SEC title game. Leading in time of possession, rushing yards, and passing yards, the Gators rallied from behind after a third-quarter deficit to score two touchdowns and hold Alabama scoreless in the fourth quarter. The victory would vault Florida to No. 1 in the Associated Press Poll, No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll, and No. 2 in the BCS rankings, setting up a showdown against
Oklahoma in the
BCS Championship Game on January 8, 2009, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida. The Gators won 24–14, securing their second national championship under Meyer.
2009 season In 2009, Meyer's Gators began the season ranked No. 1 by the largest margin in the history of the AP preseason poll. Though the team struggled on offense at times, and quarterback Tim Tebow suffered a frightening
concussion in a September victory over
Kentucky, Florida finished the regular season 12–0 and still ranked No. 1. The winning streak ended in the
SEC Championship Game, when they lost 32–13 to
Alabama. Florida was selected to play the undefeated
Cincinnati Bearcats in the
2010 Sugar Bowl. The Gators won 51–24 to finish the season with a 13–1 record for the second consecutive year.
Leave of absence In the early morning of December 6, 2009, soon after returning home following his team's loss in the 2009 SEC Championship Game, Meyer was quietly admitted into a Gainesville hospital suffering from chest pains and dehydration. He was released later in the day, and the incident was not announced to the public at the time. On December 26, after discussions with his family, Meyer revealed his medical scare and announced that he would resign as Florida's head coach due to health and family concerns following his team's
New Year's Day Sugar Bowl appearance. On December 27, Meyer announced that he would take an indefinite leave of absence instead of resigning. He was unsure if he would return for the 2010 season but stated that "I do in my gut believe that will happen." Offensive coordinator
Steve Addazio would serve as the
interim coach in Meyer's absence. On January 1, 2010, Meyer coached the Gators in their 51–24 Sugar Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats. In a post-game interview, Meyer again suggested that he would return to coach the Gators at some point by saying: "I plan on being the coach of the Gators." Meyer took significant time off from his coaching duties after the bowl game in an attempt to improve his personal health. While he did stay in touch with potential new players during the
busy recruiting season, Meyer did much less traveling to visit recruits than usual. Nevertheless, the Gators still signed the consensus No. 1 recruiting class in the nation in February. On March 17, 2010, Meyer returned full-time to his position for the start of the Gators' spring practice and continued in that role into the 2010 season.
2010 season With his victory over Kentucky on September 25, 2010, Meyer achieved his 100th career win as a coach. With that win, his record was at 100–18 over the course of 10 seasons. He became the sixth fastest NCAA coach to reach that record, following
Gil Dobie (108 games),
George Woodruff (109 games),
Bud Wilkinson (111 games),
Fielding Yost (114 games), and
Knute Rockne (117 games). He was also the second-fastest to reach 100 wins since Wilkinson in 1945. Despite reaching this milestone, the season was a difficult one for the Gators, and their 7–5 regular-season record was the worst in Meyer's tenure at Florida. On December 8, 2010, Meyer again announced his retirement from coaching for much the same reasons he mentioned in December 2009: his family and his health. Meyer's last game as Florida's coach was a 37–24 win in the
2011 Outback Bowl on January 1, 2011.
Aftermath After a three-month investigation, the
Sporting News published an exposé titled "How Urban Meyer broke Florida football", suggesting that Meyer had created a toxic culture in the locker room at Florida and departed just before implosion. The article quoted several Florida players who declared that Meyer developed a "Circle of Trust" that included only star players, and that those players received favorable treatment, including not having to complete workouts, lenient punishment, and hiding the player's positive drug tests from the public. Although Meyer stated: "I've never heard of Circle of Trust before in my life", former players contend it was the foundation of Florida's culture under Meyer.
Ohio State On November 17, 2011,
Eleven Warriors reported that Meyer would become the head coach of the
Ohio State Buckeyes. Meyer denied the report publicly, then asked ESPN to be taken off assignment during the weekend of the
Ohio State–Michigan game, adding more to the speculations that he might be named the next head coach of Ohio State. On November 28,
WBNS Columbus confirmed that Meyer had accepted the job as Ohio State's head football coach, and was introduced as head coach later that night. The school said Meyer would receive a six-year contract that paid $4 million annually, plus another $2.4 million total in "retention payments". It was reported by CBS Sports on April 13, 2015, that Meyer signed a contract extension with the Buckeyes through 2020.
2012 season In Meyer's first year of coaching at Ohio State, he helped lead the Buckeyes to an undefeated 12–0 record and a No. 3 AP Poll ranking. The season was highlighted with ranked victories over Michigan State, Nebraska, and Michigan. The team was ineligible for all other rankings, as well as postseason play, due to NCAA sanctions. He was surrounded by first-year coaches such as offensive coordinator Tom Herman, co-offensive coordinator Ed Warriner, and co-defensive coordinator Everett Withers.
2013 season In the 2013 regular season, Meyer helped lead Ohio State to ranked wins over Wisconsin and Northwestern. The regular season was capped with a 42–41 road win over Michigan. Ohio State qualified for the Big Ten Championship, which they lost 34–24 to Michigan State. Ohio State lost 40–35 to Clemson in the Orange Bowl. Ohio State finished #12 in the BCS rankings and a 12–2 record. Meyer lost talent at the end of the year to the 2014 NFL Draft, including linebacker
Ryan Shazier, cornerback
Bradley Roby, and running back
Carlos Hyde. Roby and Shazier went in the first round, and Hyde went in the second round.
2014 season , the city in which Urban Meyer resides, renamed West Bridge Street in his honor for his accomplishments during the 2014 season. Before the start of the season, Ohio State lost its star quarterback,
Braxton Miller, when he sustained a right shoulder injury during practice. Redshirt freshman quarterback
J. T. Barrett stepped in as his replacement and led Ohio State to an 11–1 record through the first 12 games of the season. However, in the final game of the regular season, he sustained a broken ankle and was lost for the remainder of the year.
Cardale Jones replaced Barrett at quarterback and guided Ohio State to a 59–0 blowout win over
Wisconsin in the
Big Ten Football Championship Game. With the conference championship and the convincing win over Wisconsin, Ohio State moved up to #4 in the
College Football Playoff rankings, jumping the two Big 12 teams in playoff contention, Baylor and TCU, qualifying for the inaugural four-team postseason tournament. They played #1
Alabama in the semifinal
Sugar Bowl. Despite being nine-point underdogs and trailing by as much as 15 points in the first half, Ohio State came back to win, 42–35. The Buckeyes then faced Heisman Trophy winner
Marcus Mariota and the
Oregon Ducks in the
College Football Playoff National Championship. The Buckeyes were again underdogs as the #2-ranked Ducks were favored by seven points. Despite giving up four turnovers, Ohio State beat Oregon, 42–20, with MVP performances from running back
Ezekiel Elliott and safety Tyvis Powell. The victory marked the eighth
national championship in Ohio State's history and gave Meyer his third career national title, following his two with Florida.
2015 season Meyer and the Buckeyes started off their title defense as the preseason unanimous #1 in the AP Poll. The Buckeyes started the season with a 10–0 record to extend their winning streak to 23 games, a new school record. On November 21, against #9 Michigan State, the Buckeyes fell 17–14 to end the winning streak. Ohio State ended the season with a 42–13 win over #12 Michigan. Ohio State did not return to the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes ended their season with a 44–28 win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
2016 season Meyer and the Buckeyes started off the 2016 season as #6 in the AP Poll. The Buckeyes had a 6–0 start with ranked wins over Oklahoma and Wisconsin and rose to #2 in the country. They were upset by Penn State on October 22. The Buckeyes rallied to win their next five games, including a 62–3 win over #9 Nebraska and a 30–27 2OT win over Michigan. Ohio State made the College Football Playoff. In the Semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl, they were defeated 31–0 by Clemson.
2017 season Meyer and the Buckeyes started off the 2017 season as #2 in the AP Poll. After a season-opening win over Indiana, Ohio State dropped the game against #5 Oklahoma 31–16. The Buckeyes went on a six-game winning streak, which included a 39–38 win over #2 Penn State. In the following game, on the road against Iowa, Ohio State suffered a 55–24 defeat. Ohio State closed out the regular season on a three-game winning streak to get to the Big Ten Championship, a 27–21 win over #3 Wisconsin. Ohio State defeated #8 USC 24–7 in the Cotton Bowl to finish 12–2.
2018 season On August 1, 2018, Meyer was placed on paid
administrative leave by Ohio State after reports surfaced that Meyer knew about spousal abuse allegations against assistant coach Zach Smith prior to Smith's firing the week prior. After an independent investigative panel reviewed the evidence, the Ohio State Board of Trustees found that Meyer and Ohio State University Athletic Director
Gene Smith did not uphold the values of the university. On August 22, the board voted to suspend Meyer for the opening three games of the season for the Buckeyes. He missed the team's games against Oregon State, Rutgers, and TCU. Ohio State finished the year with a 12–1 record, including winning the Big Ten conference, but was not selected for the College Football Playoff, instead receiving a spot in the
2019 Rose Bowl. On December 4, 2018, Meyer announced that he would retire from coaching following the team's Rose Bowl game for health reasons. It was announced that
Ryan Day would take over the head coaching position immediately after the Rose Bowl.
Jacksonville Jaguars On January 14, 2021, Meyer was hired to become the head coach of the
Jacksonville Jaguars. On July 1, 2021, the NFL fined Meyer $100,000 for violating practice rules during organized team activities. In early October, a video appeared to show Meyer inappropriately touching a woman who was not his wife while he was at his Columbus-area restaurant, Urban Meyer's Pint House. Meyer apologized to the team and personnel. Jaguars owner
Shahid Khan said that Meyer's behavior had been "inexcusable" and that Meyer "must regain our trust and respect". The Jaguars won their first regular season game on October 17 against the
Miami Dolphins by a score of 23–20. The Jaguars won their second regular season game when they defeated the heavily favored
Buffalo Bills by a score of 9–6 on November 7. Toward the end of the 2021 season, Jaguars players and coaches were critical of Meyer's treatment of them, to which the team officially responded with assertions of Meyer's job security. On December 15, former Jaguars
kicker Josh Lambo publicly accused Meyer of physical abuse, saying that Meyer repeatedly kicked Lambo's leg during warmups prior to the team's final preseason game. Lambo said it was inexcusable for any boss at any workplace to strike an employee. After Lambo told Meyer never to kick him again, Lambo said Meyer responded, "I'm the head ball coach. I'll kick you whenever the fuck I want." Later that day, Lambo reported the incident to his agent, who then reported it to the Jaguars team. Within hours of these new revelations from Lambo, Jaguars owner Shahid Khan made the decision to fire Meyer from his position and informed him of this in the early hours of December 16, 2021. Meyer recorded a 2–11 (.154) record during his brief tenure. His thirteen-game tenure is tied with
Lou Holtz and
Bobby Petrino for fourth-shortest coaching tenures in NFL history. Holtz and Petrino also were making their NFL head coaching debuts after previously being a head coach in college. His .154 winning percentage is the worst of any non-interim head coach since
Cam Cameron's .063 winning percentage with the
Miami Dolphins in 2007. On January 26, 2022, Meyer spoke publicly for the first time about his tenure with the Jaguars on
Dan Dakich's podcast ''Don't @ Me'', calling it "the worst experience I've had in my professional lifetime", citing the five-game losing streak and the differences in practice time compared to college football. Meyer added that he experienced "depression", and said, "I'd stare at the ceilings and [think] 'are we doing everything possible' because I really believed we had a roster that was good enough to win games. I just don't think we did a great job." ==Spread offense==