Could Urban Meyer Be the Jets' Next Head Coach?

The New York Jets are likely to fire head coach Adam Gase. Could former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who is open to an NFL coaching gig, be his replacement?

After walking away from a legendary career coaching at the collegiate level, Urban Meyer is reportedly listening to NFL teams seeking to fill vacancies for next season. 

In fact, at least two teams have already reached out to the former Ohio State head coach according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Per Schefter, Meyer did not dismiss the prospect of taking an NFL head-coaching gig and he intends to make his decision about making the jump to the next level before the end of the NFL regular season.

Meyer spent 17 seasons as a head coach at Ohio State, Florida, Utah and Bowling Green, winning three national championships in that span. Even with all that success at the collegiate level—boasting a record of 187-32 over nearly two decades—he has never coached in the NFL.

If Meyer is open to coaching in the NFL, as Schefter writes, he would immediately become "one of the most intriguing candidates in this season's NFL head-coaching cycle."

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With ties to the state of Florida, and after the Jaguars locked up the No. 1 overall pick from next year's draft on Sunday, Jacksonville make a lot of sense for Meyer. Their current head coach, Doug Marrone, is 12-34 over his last three seasons at the helm. If and when he's axed this offseason, Meyer and Trevor Lawrence could link up in Jacksonville. 

The Lions, Texans and Falcons all fired their head coaches earlier this season and will be looking for replacements in earnest as the calendar flips to 2021. 

So, what about the Jets? Could Meyer consider Gang Green if New York moves on from Gase this offseason?

After New York won again on Sunday, turning their first win of the year last week into a modest two-game winning streak, Gase deflected questions about his future coaching the Jets. Earlier in the year, he told reporters that he's not concerned with his job security and even with a putrid 13-game losing streak to start the year, he's not "really worried" about what will happen this offseason.

That said, NFL insiders have reported consistently over the last several weeks that Gase's time in New York is coming to a close. After all, Gase is 9-22 as the Jets head coach.

Considering much of his college coaching career was spent at big-name programs like Ohio State and Florida, perhaps the appeal of a top market like New York would peak Meyer's interest. 

Surely it would take the perfect fit for Meyer to make the jump up to the NFL, after sticking with the college level all these years. New York has a young roster and a surplus of draft picks over the next several seasons. Maybe working with a younger group in New York (building around draft picks and rising stars like Mekhi Becton and Quinnen Williams) would be in Meyer's wheelhouse after working closely with tremendous recruiting classes and top prospects for much of the last two decades. 

Keep an eye out for Meyer's decision regarding his future as a head coach over the next few days (or weeks). He could stick with his current gig, working as a television analyst with Fox, but if the right fit is out there for him, who knows wha the future holds.

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